T O B I O GRAP HY

S AT A N .

E D IT D BY
f
V
R . BE A RD ,

AU T H O R OF

THE PE OPL E S D I C TI ON ARY o n THE BIBL E

’
.

Th e ax e i s l ai d to t h e r o o t o ft h e t re es . JO HN T HE B APT I S T .

Ev e ry p l an t t h at my H e av e n ly F a t h er h at h n ot plan t e d s h all be root e d up .

T H E L O R D JE S U S .

A d r e am
A fi c ti o n m e r el y ; so m e t h in g p e op l e s aw

u
B u t t h ro g h t h ei r fan c y ; an d a s F a n c y ch o s e,

T h e j a d e m i s l e d h e r i d le v o tari e s . C H AR L E S S W AI N .

WILLIAM S AN D N O R GATE
1 4, HENRIETTAS TREET C OV ENT GA R D E N L OND ON ;
'

, ,

A ND 2 0 SOUTH FREDERIC K STREET EDINBURGH

, ,
.
 L OND ON
PRI NTE D B Y 0 . GR EE N AN D S ON ,

STR AND , W . C .
 P RE FAC E .

As this book is intended n o t so much for scholars as the

ge neral publi c I have not atte m pted more than a series o fread
,

a ble sketches . The same c onsideration has led me to adopt

the autobiographical form whi ch wi th the supposit ion o f an
, ,

intelli gent companion gives me some of the advantages o f a

,

conversational style O nly in the large p ortion o f the work

.

devote d t o the S c riptu res have I w ithout departing from a

,

po pular manner aimed at a cert ai n degre e o fcompleteness To

, .

handle adequately all the grave topics o f thi s compreh ensi v e

the m e would re quire a library instead of a volume Havin g .

aimed at nothing less than to deal a blo w at Traditionalis m ,

Sacerdotalism and Satanis m which reciprocally evoke and sup

,

po rt each other and w hich in a brood o fsuperstitions hav e

, , ,

infli cted o n o ur race many of the direst evils under whi ch it has
s ufi e r e d I have si mply pursued such a metho d as seemed to m e
’

most likely to c onduce to m y obj ect I m ay have missed my

.

m ark but I shall pass t h e rest o fmy days in deeper satisfaction

,

for having shot the arro w An d thi s observation leads m e to

.

say that person al considerations have exercised an i nfluence in

deter min ing me to compose the book My chi ldh ood and .

early youth wer ehaun ted by cruel phantas m s which had their
sour c e in the gross superstiti on I n o w assail Having a ne r .

vous te mp erament and movin g in a c ircle in which belief in

,
vi P REF AC E .

ghosts and other imaginary beings was all but universal I ,

contracted fears and alarms which agitated and tortured me

fo r many years s o that even the first days o f my manhood
,

were beclouded by their dark and spectral shadows I have .

reason t o believe that even in the more cul t ured classes o f

s ociety many a nursery is still beset and worried by S imilar
harpies n o r will the young be brought up in the pure and
,

serene light o fGod s o wn lovely world until belief in the devil

’

is banished for ever from the haunts o fm e n .

I experienced in m y boyhoo d acute pain from devilism in

another shape My father a kind intelligent and S i m ple
.
, ,

minded man had inherited a rigid Calvini sm by which he

, ,

was al m ost driven t o suicide As his eldest child I shared

.
,

h is inmost thoughts a n d learnt h o w he had been tormented

,

with the fear o f hell n o t being able like some to pe rsuade

, , ,

himself that he was o n e o f the fe w favourites o f heaven .

Happily for m e as well as fo r him his earnest nature threw

, ,

of fthe galling yoke just before I began to turn m y thoughts

to religious m atters vet my memory h as ever retained a vivid
sense o fhis perils and s u fi e rin g s The terrific system is now
.

past the meridian o f life but similar fears and dangers will
,

last as lo n g as Satan endures as a personal reality The stro n g .

hold o f Satan is the Bible yet Satanis m is n o t a Biblical

,

growth Th is I take no s m all pains to shew if only be c ause

.
,

I respect and love the Bib l e and because I find in the Bibli c al
,

religion as represented by Jesus the great hop e of hu m anity

, ,
.

My efforts to eliminate Satan from the Bible if successful wil l , ,

o w e the result to the exegetical resources supplied by what I

may term the n e w science o f Th e His to r y ofRelig i on w hich ,

is gradually undermining m any a theological falsity w hile ,

spreading t h e light o f God s Fat herly Providence over th e

’
 P REFAC E . vii

wide surface o f the hu man race from its origin down to the ,

present hour .

O f the professional ministers of religion there are many who ,

exercising their functions in the spirit of t h e L ord Jesus hold ,

“
high rank am ong the salt Of the earth Such men what .
,

ever their creed whatever their position I honour and love

, , .

“
These are n o t the priests whom I censure in some o f the
following pages The term is meant t o describe a caste a
.
,

power a direction o f clerical agency which thinks more o f

,

itself than its avowed Master and l ab ours for what is called ,

“
the C hur c h rather than for the real interests Of beings wh o
’f

cannot be well Offhereafter except so far as in the true sense , ,

they are well o ffhere To this professionalism the downfall

.

o fSatan would be ruinous But then under any circumstances

.
, ,

the re ign o f the priest cannot last very long in such days o f
light liberty and moral power as are already printed in God s
, ,
’

Great Year Book 3 and every true disciple Of Christ will r e

j oice in the prospect o fthat C Op io us outp ouring o fthe D ivin e
“ ”
Spirit which neglecting all human orders ranks and dis
, , ,

tin c t io n s shall establish the u n i vers a l p r i es tho o d o fhumanity

, ,

by fulfillin g the pro mise give n by the lips o fJoel and repeated
“
by those o f Peter : I will pour o ut o f my Spirit upon all
flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy ( teach
,

religion) and your young men shall see visions and your o ld
, ,

men shall dream dr eams and o n my serv ants and my hand

,

”
maidens I will pour o ut o fmy Spirit and they shall prophesy ,

( Joel ii 2 8 2
. 9 ; Acts,
ii .

JO H N R BE A RD . .

THE ME AD OWS ,
A S H TON -
ON - M E R S E Y , N EA R M A N CH E STE R,
M a r ch, 1 8 7 2 .
 C ON TE N T S .

B O OK I .

IN T ROD U C TOR Y .

C HA P TE R I .

I AM AND W HA T I AM N OT

CHA P TE R II .

C AM E IN TO E X I S TE N CE
S ecti on 1 . L o i ca g l G en e sis o ft h e Id ea ofS a t an — S e cti on 2 E xcl u .

s iv e P r ev a l en ce o ft h e D ar k Si d e oft h e D ual is m — S ect ion 3 The .

D ua l i s m is th r ow n in t o C nfu
o by E l i t i i m
si o n c c es as c s .
-
S e ct i o n 4 .

E xtr em e C r e dulit y t h e C h an n e ro l t h ugh w hi h B li f i c e e n a P er so n a l

D ev il h a s b een p r op ag at e d — S e ction . 5 Th e
. C r eat iv e P o wer o ft he

I m g i ti h
a na t ib t d t
on as B li f i
c on r P u e o e e n a er s o n a l D il ;
ev t he
F t ill t t d f m D t
ac us r a e d M il t
ro — S ti an e an on ec on 6 . F e ar en g en

d M t l D p ti i l d i g B l i f i P
er s en a e ce on s , nc u n e e n a er so n a l D il t h ev e

ify i g P ulp it ; t h H ld C ll g f D m l gy ; S t
’
T err n e er a s o e e o e on o o a an i c

A i t y
r s ocr ac lg D il vu ar ev s .

BO OK II .

P ER IOD OF C O M P OS ITIO N .

C HA P TE R I .

OR I GIN AND P R OG R E SS
S e cti on 1 . My bryon ic C on dit i on
Em —S ectio n 2 . My B ir h t — S ec
t i on 3 . My E du cation .

C HA P TE R II .

M Y H I STOR IC AL GEN E S I S
 C ON TEN TS .

B O OK III .

P ER IOD OF C O MP O S ITI ON : MY C O NNE C TION W ITH THE B IB LE .

CHA P TE R I .

THE OLD TE S TAM E N T : T HE S H E M ITI C OR H E BR E W EL E M E N T

S e ctio 1 The st ict M o oth eism Of t h e

n . r g Of M o ses S ec
n — Reli i on
t io 2 D e ilism c o d em ed i t he Old Test ame t — Secti o 3
n . v n n n n n .

The fi st A c c o un t ofC eatio ig o e s S at a —S ectio 4 Sata in

r r n n r n . n . n

h
t e B oo k o fJo b — S e ct io 5 Th e F o u
. e mai i g P a ss ag e s Oft h e
n . r r n n

Old Test am en t i wh i ch t h e w d S at a i s us e d c o si d e e d C o
n or n n r n

cl u s i o n .

CHA P TE R II .

THE A RYAN OR P A C AN EL E M E N T THE FALL ,

AN A LL E G ORY IN

PI C T U R E S

CHA P TE R III .

THE J EWI S H E L E M E N T As S E E N I N THE OL D TE S TAM E N T A POC R Y P HA

A L E X AND R I N E D E M ON OL O G Y J OS E PHU S THE P S E UD E P I G R A P H S OF
T HE OL D TE S TAM E N T ; T HE B OOK OF EN OC H ; THE TALMUD AND
CA B B AL I S TS

CHA P TE R IV .

THE N E W TE S TAM E N T

S e cti o n 1 J ude t he A p o calyp s e t he E p istl e o f P eter t he E pis

—
.

tl e s o fP au l t h e E p i stl e o fJ a m es t h e B o ok o fA cts S ection 2 .

The G os pl
e s J oh n , M a tt h ew M ar k L uk e
, , .

B O OK IV .

P ER IOD OF C OMP O S ITI ON : ELE V A TI ON .

CHA P TE R I .

M Y E CC L E S IA S TI CAL H IS TOR Y

S ect i on 1 Th e A p ost ol ical Fat h er s C lem en s Ro man us ; Po ly pcar

—S
.

t he E p ist l e of B ar n abas t he P as to r o fH e r m a s . e ct io n 2 . The

C l e men tin es .
 C ON TEN TS . xi

B O OK V .

P ER IOD OF C O MP O S ITION : DE BAS E M EN T .

CHA P TE R 1 .

S ecti on 1 . HOW Ev e f ell t h e M oh am ed an F bl e S ection 2 The

a — .

D evil s withs tan d t he Ap ost l e An d r ew in “

t h e C ity OfM an eat er s -
.

B O OK VI .

P ER I OD OF C O MP O S ITI O N : DE BA S E M EN T .

C HA P TE R I .

C ONN ECTI ON WI TH THE P H I L OS OP H E R S : AP OLL ONI U S OF TYANA ,

THE P A G AN C H R I S T TU R N IN G TABL E S AND R APP I N G S P I RI TS I N
THE OLD E N TI M E

C HA P TE R II .

C ONN E CTION WI T H THE G N OS TI CS AN D THE IVIAN I CHE AN S

CH AP TE R III .

C ONN E CTION WI TH H E R E SY

CHA P TE R IV .

M Y C ONN E CTI ON THE P R IE S TS OE ROM E

CHA P TE R V .

C ON NECTION M EN OE L E TTE R S

C HA P TE R VI .

C ONNE CTION W I TH WI TCHCRAPT

C HA P TE R V II .

C ONN E CT I ON TH R OU G H A S TR OL OGY M A GI C A
, rc , ,
. WI TH THE HI GH
E S T F UN C TI ONARI E S I N C HU R C H AND S TA TE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
xii C ON TEN TS .

B O OK VII .

P ER IOD OF DE C O M P OS ITI O N : DE BAS E M EN T : DE C L INE .

C HA P TE R I .

MY TR ANS F OR MA TI ON S

C HA P TE R II .

AM I A PE R S ON OR AM I A P OWE R —TH E VE RD I CT OF AR T

C HA P TE R III .

AM I A P E R S ON OR AM I A P OW E R —THE CR U CIAL TE S T

C HA P TE R IV .

E CCL E S IA S TICA L TR AD ITION N

C O CE RNI N G ME HA L TS IN I TS C OU R S E

C HA P TE R V .

L U TH E R S U S TAI N S MY TOTTE R IN G TH R ON E

CHA P TE R V I .

A TTA C K AND D E F E N CE : B E KK E R H E N R Y M ORE

,
AND G OAD BY

C HA P TE R V II .

E FF OR TS F OR M Y RE v I V AL : DE FOE, W E S L E Y AND D ODD R I D G E

C HA P TE R V III .

I AM B ECOM E AN OB JECT OF D E R I SI ON

CHA P TE R IX .

P HA S E S OF M Y D E CL IN E ,
EX T IR N S IC AND I N TR I N S I C

C HA P TE R X .

TE S TI M ON IE S

C HA P TE R XI .

L A ST WOR DS
 THE AUTOBIOGRAPHYOF

BOOK 1 .

I N TR O D U C TOR Y .

CHAPTER I .

I Al l AN D WHA T I AM N O T .

THE aged feeling pre m onitions o f de c line are apt to look

, ,

ba ck and survey t he past If they beco m e aware that what

.
,

ever the cause they sufl er in publi c op inion they naturall y

, ,

take up the pen and write their o wn biography Such is my .

condition Through you my gentle Theophilus whom I

.
, ,

have trained in letters fro m your chil dho o d and who still act ,

as m y a m anuensis I shall han d the following n arrative to

,

the public To you I am kno w n nearly as well as to myself

.
,

for your love o freality is inten se and the simplicity o fyour ,

character gu arantees t he truth of what you dir ectly o r indi

r e ct l declare A pure cha e l such as u present is what
y . nn
y o , ,

I desire What else could ans wer my p ur pose w hen I am

.

about to supersede a huge and terrific falsity by a certain and

most beneficial truth ? The falsity is that I am a personal ,

concentration o f transcendental vic e wickedness and w o e ,

.

The t ruth w hi c h I w ish to substitute is that I am a personi ,

fi c at io n of the dark side of hu m anity and the universe Being .

,

as su c h an impalpable presence I exist i n every land and

, ,

occupy a corner in every hu m an hear t A reflection o f the .

B
 AB S OL U TE E V IL HAS NO E X IS TEN C E .

outer worl d o f mat t er an d the inner w orld o fmind I am not ,

all dark nor could I ever h ave b een p ainted black had not
,

t heological sp eculation firs t thrown its o wn murky clouds

over the hear t o f man and over the creation o fGo d Th e
’
human so ul in ruins and the world under its Maker s curse
inevitably p erp etuated that incarnation o f E vil which theo
l o gian s call the D evil o r S atan The t errific figment came .

the more readily into vigour b ecause while a shadow from , ,

man s o wn baseness it served as a substitute fo r his relief

’

and a palli ation o fhis guilt .

Ba d as he is, t h e D e v il may be a b u se d ,

Be f l ly h g d d
a se c l l
ar e an c a us e e s s y a c c us e d ,

Wh m en will i g t b bl m d l
en , un n o e a e a o n e,

S h ift ff h im t h
O on im th t th e cr es a ar e eir o wn .

The clerical description o f me makes me o ut to be an i m

p ersonation o f absolute m alignity The existence o f such a .

frightful monstrosity I c onfidently deny Absolute evil can .

have n o existenc e in a universe made and sustaine d by the

God and F ather o fthe L ord Jesus Christ Absolute ev il an d .

absolute good exclude each other If Go d is I am not if I .

,

am Go d is not Two absolutes are i m possibilities Make

,
. .

your choice b etween me and your Creator You c annot logi .

cally o w n b oth .

Yet I am a power I am a p ower under Go d and as such

.
,

I p erform a task which however unlovely and however ,

painful is des t ined to put forward Go d s wise and benignant

,
’

purp os es for t h e goo d o f man What I am in full the fol

-
.
,

lowing pages wil l report E nough t o add in these intro .

d u c t o r y remarks that I am an image o f the evil that is i n

,

man arisin g from his divinely given liberty o f mor al choice -

.

That evil I di scipline and correct as well as represent and ,

so I am also a divine schoolmas ter t o brin g the world to

Go d My origin is human my sphere o faction earthly my
.
, ,

final end d issolution E vil must cease when good is universal

. .

IV hile then I c annot boast o f a heavenly birth I di s own

, , ,
 I AM A P ER S ON IF ICA TION O F THE D A RK SI DE OF T H ING S .

fiendish dispositions Worse than th e worst man I cannot

.

be I am indeed a s ort o f mongrel born bred reared an d

.
, , ,

nurtured o fhuman fancy folly and fraud As such I possess,

.
,

a q uas i omnipresence and a q ua s i omniscience ; for I exis t

wherever man exists and dwelling in human hearts know
, , ,

all that men think feel and do Hence I h ave power to

,
.

te mp t and mislead and that power when I am in my wors t

, ,

moods I am pleased t o exercise Yet in even these my lowest

, .

qualities I could find my equals in courts and ca mps not to ,

say in J e sui tic al colleges and monkish cells I have no wis h .

to set myse lf Off by disparaging others but har dl y will even ,

my defamers ascribe to me such qualities as hypocrisy mean ,

n ess s h abbiness and a number o f other l o w and sordid fea

, ,

tures whi ch hol d prominence in characters that stand well in

the eyes o f the world and are n o t without influenc e in the
c hur ch .

C HAPTER II .

HO W I CAM E IN TO E XIS TEN C E .

S EC T ON I I .

L OGICA L G EN E SIS or THE ID E A OE S A TA N .

GRE A T and eager has b een the dispute as t o my origin .

Some say that I co existed from the first with the Creato r o f
-

the universe Some say that I am o n e o f his o wn creatures

. .

This presents the metaphysical view Of my origin The his .

t o ri cal V ie w makes me t o have been in the beginning o n e o f

the heavenly host who lost their c elestial p osition by losing
their m oral p uri t y Another historical version connects me
.

with the daughters o f men by union with whom I parted ,

.

with m y angelical nature an d became Satanical .

In truth I am the child o f human speculation And this

,
.

B 2
4 MA N S S EN S E ’
OF IN EE RIORITY THE S O UR C E OP REL IG I ON .

specu lat ion s urvivi ng still though in a sic kly form goes
, , ,

back to the earliest dawn o fman s logical faculty I came in t o ’

.

exis tence o n the first day that man aske d hi m s elf VV h en c e ,

”
thi s world in which I li v e and o fwhi ch I am a part 2
U ntold ages had passed b efore the s ons o f man grew t o
b e capable o f c onceiving that question N o t kn owing goo d .

from evil they h ad no cur iosity ab out either In their e ar

,
.

li est con di tion they were c onfounded with the univers e o f

,

which they were an almost totally unc onscious part N o t .

until the long and varie d discipline o fw hat is call ed evil as ,

well as go od had develope d their higher nature did they

, ,

b eco m e con s cious o f themselves as a distinct and separate ,

p art o f t h e uni v erse L ying o n the bosom o f the great

.

mother they dr ank in l ife uncon s ciousl y from her nutritious

,

b osom ; and o nly when weane d by h er provident hand and

w hipped by her corrective rod did they b egin to feel that she ,

w as not the y and that they were not she

,
.

An d yet the sepa ra tion was but p artial S o lin ked toge
’

ther w ere mother and chil d that though the umbili cal c ord , ,

was s n ap t the conn ection was rather altered t han broken

, .

L i v ing o n in n ature men felt and o wned the intim acy o f

,

their kin ship Aft er all S he was their mother and their nurse
.
,
.

After all they were her children and d ependents

,
.

And so it has come about that some phil osophers have

asserted that the sens e o fdependenc e is the sourc e o freli g ion
in man .D oubtless it is a source o freligion in m an but not ,

so much in its o wn form as in a deep er one o u t o fwhich the ,

sens e o f dependence springs The sense o f d ependence is .

rather an inferenc e than a prim ary sentiment It is an act .

o f logic and n o t o f moral intuition

,
You must descend into .

man s instinctive nature where rise all the springs o f his

’

higher life if you w o uld get to the source o f his religious

,

sentim ents and apprehension s In presence o f the universe .

,

man s fir st conscious feeling was a sens e o f in feriority This

’
.

arose in him spontaneously as he lay there for the first time ,

at t h e gre at mater n al breast The m o ment his eye op ened o n .

 THE F IR S T F OR M OF W OR S HIP IS THE W OR S H IP O F F E AR . 5

his mother s eye he fell back in a depressing sense o f in fe

’

r io r it y and unworth in ess It w as the half t e rrifie d feeli n g o f.

-

t h e yet un assured but se mi conscious b abe N o r was it

,
-
.
,

until repeated experiences h ad correc t ed the sentiment that ,

a certain trust sprang u p t o b e speedily supple m ented and ,

re c ompensed by gratitude .

This sense o f inferiority h as its inseparable counterp art in

a recogni t ion o f the superiori ty o ft h e nursing mother Ac .

c o r d in g ly the idea o fGo d in its earliest and essen t ial element

is the idea o f transcendency N atur e is gre ater than man . .

But nature if n o t an un m eaning sound is a being since man

, , ,

is a being And n o t a being only but a conscious b eing for

.
,

man who o wns t he sup eriorit y of natur e is a conscious being

, , .

Moreover that b ei ng is inv isible for it is not apprehended by

, ,

the bodily eye Yet traces of its existence and op eration

.

appear o n every S ide Consequently an invisible b eing .

,

superior to man exists in the entire univers e As exi t ing

, .
s
,

as operating as the s ource o f su n sh i ne an d the frui t s of the

,

ear t h it must receive a name It i s called Go d Go d then

, .

is the invi sible and tr anscendent s ource o f man s continued

’

existence What Go d supports m us t have Go d for its author

. .

—
Th is is m a n s fir st creed and his last is but a development
’

of the first It is a natural and so a credible result o f the

.

influences in whi ch man stands in their w o rkin g i n up on and , ,

with the deepest fee lings o fhis n atur e .

The faith at first is vague and dim Yet as corr esponding .

,

to man s nature and a conne c ted with his in m ost feelings

’
s

and actions it proves beneficial Under its Operation man s

,
.
’

intrinsic qualities co m e forth raising re fin ing and strength , ,

e n in
g his w hole being .

O riginally the predom inant sentiment Of m an in vi e w of

Go d w as fear an inevitable result Of his own i n herent sense
,

o finferiority Acc or d in gly fear is hi stori c ally kno wn to exis t

.

in all low n at i o n s in t heir vie w o fGo d The earliest worship

‘

o fthe Biblical peoples w as the worship o ffear The w orship .

of love was a very late aft er gr owth This worship o f fear -

.
 R OOT OF THE ID EA OF THE FA LL O F THE A N G EL S .

arises straightway from the sense o finferiority That se n se .

i m pli es that he by W hom it is felt is a mere W eakling as c o m ,

p ared w ith Go d the author o fthe universe The first for m

, .

o f worship is consequently the wo rship o f power In full .

agreement with this general fact t he book o fGenesis in its , ,

first verse makes Go d power the ve ry name denotin g p ower

, , ,

o r rather the concentration o fthe power s .

N ow power has t wo aspects It is either ben efi cen t o r .

m al efi c en t at least in appearance
,
O ur metaphor o f the .

n ursing m other sugge s ts tha t t h e ben e fi c e n t aspec t o f p ower

was the firs t re cognized by man in point o f time But here .

i t is easy t o b e mistak en So m e fostering influences there

.

m ust have b een open to man as s o on as he saw the light o f

d ay else the earliest mo m ent o f his existence and his latest
,

would have sto od in close proximi ty Yet life must have .

—
b een a struggle a struggle however w hi c h fo r a tim e issue d
, ,

in victory since the race succeeded the individual U ndoubt

,
.

e d ly ,
darkness as w ell as ligh t characterized m an s earliest ’

days : w hich o f t h e t wo predominated s o far as ma n s c on ,

’

s c i o us n e s s went no clear indication enables the student t o

,

deter mine definitively .

O ne aver m ent m ay ho wever be made o f this b eginning o f

, ,

man s religious life It involves an ideal o r rather it is t h e

’
.
, ,

ideal Man s c onception o fGo d is m an s ideal The ideal is

.
’ ’

recognized in his o wn conscious inferiority That p ower .

w hich I feel and o wn is superior inco m parab ly superior t o , ,

myself .
He is s uperior transcendentally superior in power
, , .

In this recognition lies enfolded the whole history o freli gion ,

considere d as representing a growth and an expansion in the

h uman race Th e eleva t i n g influe n ce whi c h has been alrea d y
.

ascribed to faith gradually raises m e n in the sc al e o f being .

As they rise , thei r ideal ascends and ascend it must because ,

the very essence o f religion is a sense o f inferiority on the .

p ar t o f m an Man can w orship only what he feels t o b e

.

’
superior to himself In other w ords man s religion is ne c as
.
,

s aril
y man s ideal
’
H ence as. fast as man rises t o a level
,
8 THE I DE A O F S ATAN S P R IN G S F RO M MA N S S ELF E S TEE M
-
.

only by Go d The D i v i n e consciousnes s w hich is the con ,

s c io u s n e s s of the all —
p ervading self is in its nature i n co m ,

m un i Cable C ould it b e shared monotheis m would not b e

.
,

the one true religion There is ho w ever an anterior state of

.
, ,

the religious sense and that state going ba c k to the daw n o f

, ,

h uman culture never ceas es w holly to exist except in the

, ,

prin c es and kings o fthe religiou s hi erarchy That state p os .

t u l at e s S atan as the inevitable anti t hesis o f Go d This dual .

is m like all first things o n ear th h a s a physical origin

, ,
.

IV h et h e r man s earliest conception o fGo d lay in the ackn o w

’

ledg m ent o f his ben e fi cen t o r of his m alefi c e n t aspect doubt ,

less the t w o existed and c o existed very soon The elements -

.

of b oth as apprehended by m an lie around him in his cra dle

, ,
.

D ay and night may serve as their representatives C ertainly .

the contrast o flight and darkness begins with m an s infantile

’

—
recognitions and ends w i t h his loftiest cul t ure though in
the later stages the two are sim ple figures o f speech But .

the gre at source o f the natural duali s m is man s o wn appa ’

r e n t ly t w ofold n ature Man i s con s c ious o f what he calls

.

b ad feelings as w ell as good This c o n s e i ms n e s s in its origin

.
r
,

and earlier u n fo ld in gs is if not strictly phy s ical certainl y not

, , ,

properly ethical O nly later o n in man s growth does the

.
’

gen eral senti m ent take a moral character In that change I .

am born My existence is primarily due t o m an s self e s tee m

.
’
-

ac ting o n his acknowledgment of wrong motives and w rong

a c tions Vicarious religion is the root of religious errors and
.
,

vicarious religion is a r ank growt h o f an over w eening idea

o fs elf. N o that revenge that lust that malice is not mine
, , , ,
.

I am not so base ; i t comes to me : it is forced up on me

either it is from a false ac c user o r an adversary but it is n o t ,

fro m my o wn hear t ; the resistance I offer is the pr o of

besides I love it not but hate it h o w can it then b e mine ?
, ,

P erhaps I am my o w n false accuser my o wn adversary t o r , ,

turing myself by my o wn fan c ies ? I am not s o sill y .

D o es it proceed from dis ease o f body ? d isease o f m ind ? I

am sound and vigorous in both N o it has its origin out .
 IC ARIOU S S IN V ICA R I O U S H O L INE S S . 9

of my self Witness the suddenness of it s app ea ra n c e E vil

.
.

thoughts co m e unin v ited and unsuspected They are clea rly .

infused aye often thrust in ; they take possession o f m e a s

, ,

by storm The ad v ersary is w i t hout at l east he i s another

.

than m yself one m orall y inferior to m yself yet having po w er ,

to e n ter m y hear t and lead m e as t ray This is the only tru e .

solution There is an adversary perhaps a tr 0 0 p o f a d v e r

”

.
,
”
sarles.

Hence the superstition o f the Satanic host O ne super .

s t it io n b egets ano t her i n its o wn like n ess Having thus .

t h r own their de m erits o n anoth er in another s m erits men

’

find their o wn And the V i cari o u s sa c rifice o fChrist is but

.

the necessary co m ple m ent o fthe vicari o us wickedness o fS atan .

The t wins will die at the sa m e m o m ent .

Am I interested in t h e ir de m ise Yes for my death pre

_
~
,

supposes the perfection o f hu m an n ature and the supre m acy

o f Go d And in those t w o sublime realities a ll real good is
.

absorbed and c entered The death of S atan is the death o f

.

the great adversary o f Go d and m an That m ost desirable .

resul t I hope to accelerate in giving a s omewhat de t ailed his

tory o fthe rise progress and decline o f the darkest fiction
,

and hugest falsity th at ever oversh a do w ed and harassed the

human race .

S EC T ON I II .

EXC LU SI V E P RE V A L E N CE OF THE DA R K SI DE OF THE DUAL IS M .

In the lo w er races and under unfavourable external in fl u

e n c e s the recog n itio n of God either arises in a faint and evan
,

e s c e n t for m o r see m s al m ost t o sink and disappear

,
E cclesias .

tic al shortsightedness and the tyranny o fnarro w dogm as m ay

h ave c oncealed the recognition from the eyes of i m pe rfe c tly
informed and meanly cultivated trave ll ers on the o n e side or ,

gone far to efface i t o n t h e other yet after d ue allo w ance

has been made for m e n tal blindness and the exaggeration o f
syste m prej udice and cas te the i mpar tial Obser v er is c o m
, ,
10 S A TA N IM P L ICA TE S MA G IC .

p el le d by facts t o admit togethe r wit h the moral degradation

,
-

the al m ost u tter religious i n sensibility o f many tribes and

p opulations still existi n g o n the surface o f the earth and ,

which may j ustifiably b e put into the cl as s o f T ur anian s .

These l o w a n d debased herds o fmen wo m e n and chil dren d o ,

indeed reproduce in m odern days the earliest an d s e m i b ar -

b arous peoples which represent that fam il y of men in the ear

lier ages If class names w ere given in vir tue n o t so much
.

o fconsangu inity as moral condition the s cale o fculture at its ,

lowest figures c ould b e too easily fill ed in w ith n ames as

savage as tho se o fthe days o fC ain .

As it is in the normal m an that the idea o fGo d germinates ,

blossoms and produces sound and nutritious fruit so all

, ,

abnorm al condi t ions o fhumanity are adverse and e v en deadly

to the tho ught Yet never can man wholly es ca p e from the
.

i dea o f p ower superior t o himself If Go d is not owned .

,

S atan takes his place And w herever S atan is s ome black

.
,

art o r the other prevail s Magic m ay b e taken t o represe n t

.

the preternatural control which priestcraft o r j ugglery o fs ome

kind exercises over man in the abuse of th e acknowledgment
Of God In deed magic is the reality that is denoted by the
.
,
'
n a m e Satan The t wo words are interchangeable W ha t
. .

ecclesiastically is called the devil may b e s aid t o require the ,

historical name o f magic In this sense I am the grea t an d

.

u niversal magician A magician as a man would be c on

.

t e m p t ible even in i g norant and brutish races did h e not c o n

, ,

t r iv e t o persuade his dup es that he was sustained and le d by

an invisible and mighty po w er In the ment al c onfusion .

w hich attaches t o all inferior natures a man le d by m e ,

bec o mes a devil himself The identifi c ation is often aided by

.

religious falsities and incantations E ven the art o f healing .

“ ”
c onduces to the deception The me di cine man o f a se m i
.

b arbarous trib e is Often little else than S atan i ncarnate .

A m ong barb arous p opulatio n s magic if n o t religion itself

, .
,

is its m ost i m po rt ant observance The magician is t h e arbiter

.

o f the destinie s of men a n d socie t y He fixes the hour fo r .

 THE FE TIC IS M OF THE L O W E R R AC E S OF M EN . 11

undertakings and c omb ats ; he points o ut the most prolific

w ater for fishing and the most p r o mising gro unds for hunting .

By invoking the aid o fthe devil he heals the sick and revives ,

the dying In all uncivilized l an ds if the sea is lashed into

.
,

fury it is done by my hand ; ift he W inds r e ar and threaten a

,

te mpest I ride o n the w hirl wind and direc t the storm

,
if
a volcano bursts into pyramids o f fla m es and la va it is m v ,

wrath that burns and devastate s In the eye s o fthe native .

Polynesians when the earth trembles when w igwa m s totter

, ,

and fall to ruin when families are engulfed the evil po wer
, ,

Pelo is venting his d estructive rage .

Black races w hich in certain lands see m t o possess littl e

,

m ore o f humanity than its for m and some sor t o f ar t iculat e

speech are the most superstitious and consequently mos t
, ,

under the control o f magicia n s It is a popular pleasure to

-
.

the native o fN ew G uinea t o pick up the g r ig r is o r fetiches ,

to arrange the m in the conse c rated forms to de c orate his bow ,

and his lance with them to offer the m presents to salute the m
, , ,

to put up t o them his prayers A feather a little bone a .

, ,

brilliant insect the eye o f a j ackal a serpent s tooth a living

, ,
’

—
snake these are his protecting genii his p o werful div inities , .

But the superstitions o f black men are n o t al ways s o littl e

b aneful F ear fully cruel are the manners o f the Caffres pre
.
,

sided over by sortilege o r the casting o flots n o less horrid

the hu man sacrifices which the terrible Ben g e u lan s o n the ,

western shore o fAfrica o fi er t o the devil sacrifices preceded

,

by magical co n j urations dur i ng an entire day and follo w ed by ,

”
banquets o f human flesh and strong drink It is says a .
,

priest o f the R o m an Chu rch it is the m ost so lid victory

“
,

that Satan has gained over the fallen race o f m e n to p er ,

suade the m t o feast o n o n e a n other D read o f the Congos .

”
,

as the m agical rulers Of C ongo is universal Those gods on ,

.

earth h ave S kill t o calm the hurricane to i mplore d iseas e

away t o bring ruin o n lands and ha mlets The king him
,
.
-r

self bends before their chief wh o bears the ti tle o fGiz a Co mbo
,
-
.
12 S A TA N W OR S H IP ED IN S T E AD OF GOD .

The Albinos o fL oango are sorcerers by privilege o fbirth and ,

live at the p ublic cost thei r m o kis s os o r demons are however , ,

l ess cruel than those o fBenguela .

The natives o fTu c o pi a ( N ew Hebrides ) never undertake a

mari time expedition w ithout having launched into the b oso m
o fthe sea a c an Oe b edecked with flo w ers a n d ornamented with

plu m es t o co n j ure the spirits o fthe te m pests by o fie rin g that

,

n utri ment t o their fury The sam e w as d one by the Egyp .

tian s and othe r nations o f antiquity At N itendi and in .

the isles o f S olomon the m agicians are accounted organs o f

S atan wh o thro ws them o n the ground transports them from
, ,

plac e t o place and during a superinduced insensibility

, , ,

plunges the m into the m os t violent c ontortions O n recover .

ing their senses o r as the phrase is when the evil S pirit

, , ,

quits them they utter a sudde n sharp and piercing cry which
, , ,

relieves t h e b osom whenc e i t co m es These recall t o mind .

the demoniacs o f the N e w Testamen t In Borneo and other .

i
s avage places w here n o worship is addressed t o t h e D e ity and
, ,

W here I am alone believed in being the perpetual obj ect o f ,

popular terrors magic is equally universal and baneful

, .
.

In all such states o f unculture I alone re ign over hu m an

b ei n gs Me they o wn me they w orship me they imitate
.
, , .

'
God prop erly s o calle d is n o t in all their thoughts The
, ,
.

b eing who m they really acknowledge is Satan the prince o f

“
,
”
da rkness They know n o other invisible p ower Th eir recog
. .

n i t i o n may be unconscious certainly it is n o t distinctive N e v er ,

.

t h e l e s s it is real equally is it terrific A reflection o fthem

, .

selves it is dark and dea d ly and its worshipers it makes as

, ,

d ar k and as d eadly wit h the laps e o f time Yet even here .

there is an ideal The ideal o fbarbarians is evil o n an im

.

p osing scale That ideal b egets a rivalry The greatest man

. .

the greatest S laughterer This ideal alas is n o t unknown .

,

in modern days and in nations tha t bear the Christian name .

“ ”
Its com m on nam e is glory .

The most extraordinary instance o f the dualism recently

 THE
“
DE V IL W OR S H IP ER S -
”
OF M E S O P O TAM IA . 13

made kno w n is presented by Mr L ay ar d in the Ye z e d is of .

Mesopota m ia *
Their conceptions and practi c e have procured
.

fo r the m the S pe c ific na m e o f

“
D evil w orshipers They -
.

do indeed reco gnize one Sup reme Being but like too many , ,

pre t ended C hri s tians they stop S hort wi t h a b arren ackno w

,

ledg m ent while they honour Satan at least by fearing h i m .

The name o fthe evil S pirit they are indeed said neve r to
me n tion This express a v oidance arises fro m the fear o f
.

giving him offence S o far do they carry thei r dread o f .

offending him that they abstai n from every expression whi c h

,

may resemble in sound the na m e Satan Thus i n speaking .

o f a river they will not s ay S h a i because it is too nearly ,

c onne c ted wit h the first syllable in S li ei zfa n S atan but sub , ,

s t it u t e N a hr When they S peak o f the devil they d o s o

.
”

with a reverence whic h has a parall el in ordinary professors

o fChris tianity Accor dingly the Ye z e d is call me M elee Ta o us
.
,

,
— —
king Peacock o r M elelc el Ko a t the m ighty angel T h ey , .

wo rship me under the symb ol o fa bird o fbronze They also .

agree with Christian or t hodoxy in holdin g m e t o b e the chief

o f the angelic host now suffering punishm ent for rebellion
,

against the D ivine will but still all po w erful and t o b e r e ,

-

stored hereafter t o m y high esta te in the celestial hierarchy

thus adding another t o the nu m erous instances which exhibit
heresy as more merciful as w ell as more philosophic than
ort hodoxy I am they logically add to be Conciliated and
.
, ,

reverenced fo r as now I have the means o f doing e v il t o

m ankind S O hereafter sh all I have the po w er o f rewarding
,

the m if only by co mm uting their penal t ies

,
In d eed they .
,

are obviously im bued with m agian con c ep tions ; for ne x t t o

me in wis dom and p o w er they o wn seven ar c han g els ( Am ,

s h asp an d s ) wh o exer c is e great influence over the w orld These .

bear n a m es which yo u m y pupil will beco m e familiar w ith , ,

ere long in forms slightly d ifi e r e n t ; viz Gabriel Michail .

, , ,

Rap h ail Azrail D e d rail Az raph e el S he mk e el

, ,
I kno w not , ,
.

N i n ev eh an d it s R e m ai n s, by A ust en H en r y La y d ar , V ol . I p . . 29 6,
seq . 2 vo s l . L on d on , 1 849 .
14 GOD , S A TA N AND MA N ,
IN EvAN GEL IC AL IS M .

i n deed that they have not as goo d a clai m t o the titl e Chris
tian as tha t o f th e bulk o fthose who are so deno mi n ate d fo r ,

t h ey ho ld Christ to b e a great angel who took the form of

m an .He did not die o n the cross indeed but he ascended , ,

t o h e aven and is to come to earth again .

S E C T ON I III .

T HE D UAL I S M IS T H R OWN IN TO C O N F U S I ON BY E CC E S I L A S TI CIS M .

G oo d and God if not the same word represent the same

, ,

reality The antithesis of goo d is ev il Were the elements

. .

o f goo d and evil every where the same a confus ion o f the ,

ter m s wo ul d b e easily avoided But with man goo d and evil .

,

rise an d fall on the moral scale exactly as his gener al c ultur e

rises a n d falls Hence in a c ert ain sense every man h as hi s
.

o wn Go d a n d his o wn devil N o t to re duce the matter t o .

this minuteness ; from the variations o fmoral char a cter co r ,

respon di ng di fferences arise touchi ng the good prin c iple and

t h e bad principle It is only the hi ghly cul t i v ated conscienc e
.

t hat gives birth to normal good and by contr a st displays ,

norm al bad But lofty cult ure is general o nl y in modern

.

d ays . Hence the earlier religionists wors hi p evil when they

think th ey are worship ing go o d These fals e impressions t rans .
,

m i tt e d i n b ooks come do w n into later ages and thr ow the

,

d ualis m o f good and evil into confusion Wh at is b ad is .

c alled good wha t is goo d is identifi ed with what is bad

,
Such .

is the gross mistake made at the present hour by pop ul ar

e ccles iasticis m .

What is its theory ? Go d made man upright The first .

man disobeyed Go d and s o brought Go d s wrath o n all his

,
’

p osterity In consequenc e every man is born with a fatal dis

.
,

ease This disease en t ails his r uin He is under the curse o fGo d
. .

for time and eternity In other words he is the slave o fS atan

.
,
.

S atan himself is a condemned convict for he t o o disobeyed ,

Go d Accordingly thi s lower worl d lies in moral chaos

,
.
16 M OL O CH A ND “
OU R F A TH ER .
”

E cclesiastical tyrann y b ege t s c ivil despotis m And thus t wo .

o t her p l agues infest the hu m an ra c e Yet s ub m i s sion Is t h e .

—
only w ay o fsalvat ion “
E verlasting punish m ent can b e
.
”

avoided only by sub mitting to rites and c ere m onies o r pro

fessing a creed B oth m ay b e unr eas onabl e but they have a
.
,

“
divine sanction Therefore yield o r w ithout doubt yo u
.
,

w ill perish everlastingly .

This is the ecclesiasticism It calls light darkness an d .

darkness light or rather w i t hou t m akin g m e g o od it m akes

, , ,

Go d had That it does make Go d ha d every o n e o wns the

.
,

m o m ent the dire sys t e m is placed before him if only he ,

reta ins undarkened a n d unperverted t h e natural sentiment s of

goo d and evil as they are in themselves and as they s t and
,

c ontradis t inguishe d the one from the other The Go d of the .

syste m is no God at all He is Satan un d er ano t her d en o mi

.

nation And t hus ec c lesiasticis m delivers the world over to

.

t w o Satans O nly in na m e can the dualis m b e said to exist

. .

To co m pare the t w o together w ould b e to o p ainf ul But this .

m us t b e s aid that I am not loade d w i t h the fearfu l r es p o n

,

s ibilit y of ha v ing gi v en birth to this eternal moral c haos ; for

after all I am according t o the system but the tolerated

, ,

instru m ent of h im to w hom I o w e my b eing and wh o in con ,

s equence is chargeable with all the ill s I inflict On the hu m an

race .

Compare d w ith such a God Moloch sin ks into a p etty ,

demon Had t h e E uropeans now in this ni nete enth century

.

for t h e first time heard that such a reli gio n was held an d
prac t is e d by s o m e savage trib e o n the western S ide o fAfri c a ,

they would have pronounce d the tale a phantasm bred in

s ome diseased and over excited brain -
.

U tte rly different is the Al mighty B eing whom Jesus called

My F ather O ur F ather
,
”
R ighteous F ather To hi m in
,
”
.

tim e m e n w ill lear n to cleave more and more until their love ,

and service o f Go d will reliev e the w orld o f the terrible in

-

c u bu s of the ecclesias t ical principle o fgood and the ecclesias

tical princip l e o fevil E ven yet the confusion is but partially

.
 THE AN GRY GO D OF FA L S E TH EOL O GY . 17

exhibited The good side of the dualism appears under th ree

.

aspects Before the F all God lo v es m an ; after the F all

.
“
,
”
,
”

he hates i nan E ven w hen he has received full payment of

.

m an s debt he pursues the b ulk o f the creditors with n n ap

’

e a s able wrath Hence it appears that o f the three aspects

p .

o f the bright side o fthe dualis m two are for the most par t ,

irretrievably d ark As for the originally dark side it re m ains

.
,

dark yet gains some reli ef in contrast with the double dark
,
e

ness Of the other side ; for bad as theologians mak e me I , ,

am according to their o wn account nothing but the ex ecu

, ,
~

t io n er o fthe D iv ine w ill .

Pitiable O man is thy condition ifi t is such as it is mad e

, , ,

to be by systems o fdivinity l

D o I not yo u ask paint the Almighty in colours too

, ,

gloomy and frightful ? My dear p u pil it is not I that paint ,

the Al mighty ; it is t h e doctors o f divinity I w ill give you .

the proof in two o r three extra c ts from the psalmody o fD r .

Watts o n e o f the most gentle and amiable o fmen but also

, ,

o n e who has dra wn some o f the most dismal di s t orte d

caricatu res o fGod .

His s oun d in g ch ariot sh ak es t he sky

He mak es t he cl o ud s his t h r on e
T h er e all hi s t
s o r es of light i g li n n e,

Ti ll v en g ean ce d art s th m d w
e o n .

His l r eat e
n os r i s t b h fi y t
o ut er s r eams

f
An d r o m hi s aw f lt g
u on ue,

A g
s ov er ei n v o i c e di i d t h fl
v es e a mes,

A d th d
n un er r oar s a on l g .

Thi n k , O my s ou ! t h e r ea dful d ay, l d

When this i n cen s ed Go d
S ha ll r en d t h e sky, a n d bu r n t he s ea ,

An d fl i n g hi s wr a th abr oa d .

W h at
h ll t h w t h t h i
s a e re c , e s n n er do
H d fi d th L d
e on c e e e e or

B t h h ll d
u d H HUND
e s a r ea T E T E R ER n ow,

Ad i k bn t h hi w ds n en ea s or .

C
18 RE P UL S IV E CA R ICA TURE S OF GOD .

Temp est f
o an gry fi r e sha ll r o ll

To blas t the r e bel wor m,

An d bea t up on hi s n a ked s oul

I n on e et er n a l s t or m .

C ome, let us lift o ur j oyful y

e es

U p t o t he co urt s abov e,
An d s m ile to se e o u r F at h er t h ere,
U p on a t hr on e oflov e .

Onc e twa s f df l w h
’
a sea t o d r ea u r a t ,

An d s ho t la me
d ev our i n g f
‘
Our Go d co n su mi n g fir e
’
ap p e a r ed ,

An d V en g ean c e was hi s na me .

Rich wer e the d r op s ofJesu s blo o d , ’

c a lm d hi s fr o wn in g
’
Th a t f ac e,

Tha t sp r in kled o er the bu r n in g thr on e,

’

An d tu r n d t he wr a th to g r ac e
’
.

To T H EE t en t h ou san d th an ks we brin g,
G r eat A dv ocate on h igh
An d gl y t or o t he t
e er n al K in g,
Th a t la ys his fur y by .

“
B eh old t he Jud g e de c d
s en s h is gu ar d s ar e n ig h ,

Temp es t an d
fi d h im d o wn t
r e a t t en he sky .

h h
H eav en , eart an d ell, r aw n ear let all t in gs d h come

h j
To ear his u st ice an d t he sin n er s oom
’
d .

Fly t o t h e Savio ur , mak e t he J udg y e o ur f r ien d ;

L est , like a li on , hi s la st v en g t
e a n ce e ar

Your t r embl in g so uls, an d n o d lie v er er n ear .

P oo rmortals wh o have fallen into t h e S in t o which Go d

—
,

made your liable poor and pitiable mortals Yo u have t o

fa ce t he f y f
u r o tw o li o n s : Go d is o n e an d I a m the othe r , .

Th e manifest injustice becomes an insult whe n the s in ne r i s

bro ught t o his k nees with the followin g ple a fo r mercy
“
L or d I , a m a ll c on cei v ed in si n ,

An d born un ho ly a n d u n c lea n ;

S p run g f m ro the ma n whos e g u ilty fa ll

C or r up ts t he r a c e, an d t a in t s us a ll .

S oon as we d r a w owr i nfan t br ea t h,

The s eeds o f si n g r o w up f or d ea th
 S A TAN A P RODU C T or G RO S S C REDUL ITY . 19

Th e la w d ema n d s a p er fect hea r t

B ut we r e d efile d i n
’ ”
eve r y p ar t .

Mercy ? Justice you should claim Can the E thiopian .

change his skin o r the leop ard hi s sp ots 2 Then may ye also
,

”
do good who are all conceived in sin corrupt and ,
”
tainted soon as yo u dra w your infant breath whil e yet o f
“ ”
you d efil e d in every part
,
“
the law demands a perfect ,

e r e m xiii
heart ( J . . .

Still the pi c ture w hich divines paint of me is very r ep ul

sive but no way so repulsive as that whic h they p aint of
,

Go d

S E C T ON I IV .

E XT R E ME C RE DUL ITY T HE CHANN E L T H R OU G H W H I CH B E L I E F IN A

P E R S ONAL D EV I L HAS B EE N PR OP A G A TE D .

E very stream receives a tinge from hues of the b ottom th e

and sides of the ground through whi ch it fl o ws As w ith .

stream s so w ith i d eas B elief in m e has come to you of thi s

,
.

generation fro m the R o m an Catholic world A medium s o .

grossly credul ous is not t o b e found in all history So .

e x travagant are m any of the stories for which the Papal

Church is responsible that few impar ti al p er s on s can read
,
’

them without b ein g ass u red that w hat they p eruse is the
product if o f illusion certai nl y o f collusion a s well To
, , .

whi ch o f the two the larger share sho ul d be ascribed I will ,

not undertake to determine My end is answered if I she w .

h o w dark and troubled were the channels w hi ch have trans

mit t e d belief in m e to the modern world .

That the literary authority I chiefly follo w may b e uh

questionable I take the book which more than all others
,

makes the priests wh o make the supp orts by which I am

uphel d It is The Breviary o r Prayer Book o fthe R oman

B r eviari um R o m an u m q t p tibu R t i b
in u a uor 1 8 6 6 S umt i b
ar s: a s on ae, , us

S . se di s Ap os t oli cee Typ g T t hi w

o . dd d i 1 8 6 7 Ofii i S t um
o s as a e n , c a an c o r

An gli ee, fo r t h e S pec i l aft h E gl i h R m

u se o C t h li
e n s o an a o cs .
20 s up mn s r i r ro us c a n n un o us un ss or THE B RE V IAR Y .

C atholic clergy The lesson for the day given in this au th o

.

r i t a t iv e l
y compiled and infallibly san c tioned volume every
p riest o f the R oman Church from t h e Pope downward is
, ,

required t o read under severe ecclesiastical penalties Spurious .

records o f the su f ferings o f the early martyrs contribute

c o piously t o the substance o f the Breviary The variety and
.

ingenu ity o f the tortu res des cribed are equalled only by the
innumerable miracles which are said t o have batfl e d the
tyrants whenever they atte m pted t o inj ure the C hristians by
,

any metho d but cutting their throats Houses were set o n .

fir e to burn the martyrs within but the Breviary informs u s

that the flames raged for a w hole day and night without
molesting them O fte n do we read o f idols tu m bli n g from
.

th ei r pedes t als at the approach o f the persecuted Christians

and even the j udges themselves dropped d own d ead w hen
they attempted t o pass sentence The wild beasts seldo m
.

devour a martyr without prostrating themselves before h i m

and lions fo ll o w young vi rgins t o protect them from insult .

The sea refuses t o drown those wh o are committed t o its

’

w aters and when compelled to do that odious service the

, ,

waves generally carry the b odies where the Christians m ay

preserve them as relics O n o n e occasion a p o p e is thro w n
'

into the L ake M oeo t is with an anchor which the in fid els had
,

tied round his neck fo r fear o fthe usual miraculous floating

,

t h e plan succeeded and the pope was drowned But the sea .

was soon after observed t o recede three miles fro m t h e shore ,

w here a te m ple app eared in which the body o f the m arty r

h ad been pro vided with a marble sarcophagus .

Cyprian a heathen mag i ci an who t o that detestable art

, ,

j oined a still more infam ous occupation engaged t o put a ,

oung man in possession of Justina a Christian v irgin Fo r

y
.
,

this purpose he employed the m ost potent incantations till ,

I was forced t o confess that I had no power over Christians .

U po n t his Cyprian c oncluded that it was b etter to b e a

C hris tia n than a sorcerer Cyprian and Justina being a o
.
,

c us e d befor e the R oman j udge o f being disciples o fChrist ,

 THE M a n rr a n o m o r S A IN T c uc rn m . 21

are conde mned t o be tossed together into a cauldron o f

melted pit ch fat and wax , from whi c h however they
“
, , ,

c o m e out quite able to be carried to N ico m edia where they ,

are put to death by the al m ost i n fallible means o f the sword

o r the axe .

The greates t stress is laid o n the authority o f t h e story o f

Saint Cecilia of music al celebri t y who having been forced to
, ,

m arry a certain Valerius most earnestly entreate d her bride

‘

g roo m to ave rt from himself t he vengeance of an angel that

h ad the charge o f her virgi n purity Valerius agreed t o .

forego his rights and promised to believe in Christ provided

, ,

he s aw his heav enly rival But Cecili a declared that s u ch a

.

sight co uld not be obtai n ed without pr evious baptis m upon

w hich the curiosity o f the bridegroo m supplying the pla c e of
,

faith he declared his readiness to be baptized Aft e r the

,
.

ce remony the angel shewed hi mself to Valerius and s ubs e

, ,

quently to a brother o f his who had been let into the secre t
,
.

Astounded at the v ision as soon as he h ad recovered fro m his

,

s tupefa c tion he sent fo r his brother Tiburt ius who having

, , ,

been i mbued by Cecilia w i t h faith in Christ was rewarded ,

with a sight of the sa m e angel as his brother had seen Both .

o f the m e n a short tim e after su ffere d martyrdom wi t h

, ,

fir mness under the prefect Almachi us This sa m e pagan .

forthwith ordered Cecil ia to be burned in a bath in her o wn

ho use When during a whole d av and night she remained
.

untouched by the fla mes t h e heads man w as sent to pu t her

,

to death 3 who when he had failed to behead her with t hree

,

strokes of the axe w i t hdrew leaving her half alive

, ,
.

O f course the Breviary supplies legends fitted t o augment

and confir m the po w er o fthe Pope as well as t o exercise t he ,

fai th of his subj e c ts The m ost notorious forgeries are for

.

these purposes san c tioned and c onsecrated in this sacerdotal

Prayer Book T hat the s e legends are oft en given in the words
.

o fthose w ho m the Church of R o m e calls F athers o nl y she w s ,

h o w long the cred ul ity h as been fostered and how carefully ,

and s u cc essfully it has been sustained “ e thu s fi n d the

I
.
22 POPE ’
Jo HN s H OR S E W ON T CA R RY A W O MA N
’
.

fable about the contest be t ween P eter and Simon Magu s

“
gravely repeated in the words Of Maximus The h oly .

”
a postl es
( P e t er and Pa u l ) lost their lives he says because , , ,

a m ong other miracles they also by their prayers precipitated

,

Simon from the vacuity Of the ai r F or Sim on calling hi m .

,

self Christ and engaging t o ascend t o the F ather was sud ,

d en ly raised in flight by means Of his magic art At this .

moment P eter bending his knees prayed to the L ord and

, , , ,

by h is holy prayer defea t ed the m agician s lightness 5 fo r the ’

prayer reached the L ord sooner than the fl ye r The righteous .

petition outs t ripped the iniquitous presumption Peter o n .

,

earth Obtained what he asked much before Simon could reach

,

the heavens t o w hich he was makin g his way Peter there .

fore brought down hi s rival from the air as if he had held ,

h im by a rope and dashing h im against a stone in a pre

,

c i ic e brake his legs 5 doing this in scorn o fthe fa c t itself s o

p , ,

that he wh o but a moment before had attempted t o fly

, , ,

should n o w n o t be able to walk and having a ffected wings ,

s hould lack the use Of his heels .

Ho w daring the forgery was and h o w credulous those for ,

whom it was made m ay be learnt from the fact that even

, ,

then when this legend was put into circulation there exis t ed
, ,

in a letter whi c h claim s to have Peter fo r its auth o r these ,

w ords R ender n o t evil for evil nor reproach fo r reproach , ,

but contrariwise b l essing 5 for it is better if the will Of Go d ,

be so that ye suffer fo r well doin g 5 fo r this is thankworthy if

,
-

a man fo r cons c ience toward God endure tribulations suffering ,

”
wrongfull y (
. 1 Peter iii .

Pope Joh n saint and m artyr being o n a j ourney t o C orinth

, ,

and in want Of a quiet and co m fortable horse borrowed o n e ,

whi ch t h e lady Of a certai n noble m an used t o ride The .

animal carried his holiness with the greatest gentleness and

doc il ity and when the j ourney was over was returned t o his
, , ,

m istress 5 but in vain did she attempt t o enj oy the usual

service Of her favourite The horse had become fierce and
.

“ ”
gave the lady m any an unseemly fall as if says the , ,
24 S A IN T P A TR IC K S W OND ER S
‘
’
.

I pass over the other ancient performances Of J an uarius t o ,

shew the style in w hich his wonderful w orks after hi s death

~

are given His body for instance o n o n e occasion e x t in

.
, ,

g ui sh e d the flames Of Vesuvius N ex t co m es tha t noble .

— —
miracle p r ceclar um i llud the liquefaction o f J an u ar iu s s ’

blood w hic h did and still does take place every year in
, , ,

N apl e s .
*

It may b e well t o fix your mind for a moment o n o n e

point How Ireland has bee n made what it is you may find
.
,

in the Breviary Take the instan c e o f its patron Saint

.
,

Patrick ( 3 7 2 The following is the tale w hich it tells

o f this pattern Of Christian excellence The holy Saint rise s .

b efore daylight and under the snows and rains Of a northern

,

winter b egins his customary task o f praying o n e hundred

times in a d ay and again o n e hundre d times in a night
, .

Such the Bre viary informs us was his d aily practice w hile
, ,

s till a layman and a slave Wh en raised to th e see o fAr m agh .

,

his activity in the external practic e Of prayer appears quite

prodigious In the first pla c e he repeated daily the o n e
.
,

h undred an d fif ty psalms Of the Psalter with a collection o f ,

canticles and hy m ns and t w o hundred collects The two .

hundred g e n ufl e x i o n s Of his youth w ere now increased t o

three hundred The ecclesiastical day being divided into
.

eight canoni c al hours and each Of these having o n e hundred ,

blessings w ith the sign Of the cross allotted by S t Patri c k .

,

his right hand m ust have perfor m ed that m o t ion eight hundred
times a day After this distractin g stir and hur ry the night
.
,

brought little repose to the Saint He divided it into three .

portions : in the first h e recited o n e h und red psal m s and

knelt two hundred times D uring the se c ond he stood im .
,

m e r s e d in cold water repeating fifty psal m s more w ith his

, ,
”
heart eyes and han d s raised toward heaven
,
The third he .

gave up to sleep upon a stone pave m ent .

t l
P ra c i c a an d I t n ern al E vi d en ce g
a ai n s t C ath ol ici s m ,
by t he Re v .

J os ep h Blan co Whit e M A ,
. .
,
BD . .
, tte
Le r VI . 2 ud Ed .
,
1 83 6 .
 A C REDULOU S P R IE S TH O OD A ,
e n n n un o us L A ITY . 25

Try to m ake all this real S uppose yourself thus occupied

.

for one day and night c an you find leisu re for anything else
,

Can you c ro wd all this within the space of four an d t w enty - -

hours ? Then carry the pra c ti c es in i m agin ation through one

ee
w k z — c an you endure so long ? O ne month ? it is i mp o s
sible O ne year ? you are a c orpse long long before t w elve
.
,

m onths have elapsed .

But this is not all While he thus a fforded to future

.

days a speci m en Of holiness he exer c ised hi m self i n long

,

readings travelled ove r Gaul Italy and the islands Of t he

, , ,

Adriatic and was called into Spain by a divine adm onition

,
.

In his episcopal Offi c e i t is w o n derful w hat annoyances and

labours he endured and what advers aries he enc ountere d
, ,

Such w as his su ccess in preaching the gosp el that Ireland , ,

given to the worship Of idols ca m e u nder his influence to , , ,

be called the isle Of Saints Ve ry large num bers Of the p o pu

.

lation he baptized with his o wn hands 5 he ordained als o

bishops and very m an y priests and led virgins and w ido w s ,

t o beco m e nu n s With the authority Of the supre m e Pontiff

.
,

he made Armag h the capital of the whole island and deco ,

rated it with relics Of the Saints brought fro m R o m e Adorned .

o fGo d w ith supernal visions and great signs and w onders he ,

shone so resplendently that his fame was spread far and

,

wide w ith ever — i n c reasing splendo u r At length w orn o u t .

,

with ceaseless cares for the church di s tinguished in w o rd and ,

deed in extre m e age refreshed by divine revelations he fell

, , ,
”
asleep in God ( 4 9 3 A
7
.

E nough of the Breviary Perhaps yo u fancy that the cre

.

d ulit y is restri c ted to the priests If s o re m ember the priests .

,

w ere the channel Of b elief in my personality But while it .

is diffi cult to find credulousness without a priest others take ,

part in the illustrative follies an d frauds .

Casanova a Venetian doo m ed to solitary i mprisonment in

, ,

The Be
r v i ar yS er v 1 c e fo r t he 1 7 t h M ar ch
of .
26 H IS TORY OF MA R Y B E G INN IN G IN H E R M O TH ER S W O MB ’
.

t he dunge o ns at Venice in 1 7 5 5 speak s o f o n e Of the only ,

*
.

boo k s he was allowed to read in the follo wing terms : I “

,

there read all that is fitted t o produc e the excited imaginatio n

Of a Spanish virgin extravagantly given t o ascetic practices ,

li v ing i n a Clois t er melancholy having di rectors Of her c o n

, ,

—
science directors ignorant false and ascetic A friend and , .

a lo v er Of the holy Virgin sister Mary Of Agrada had re , ,

c e i v e d directly fro m Go d an order t o write the l ife Of his

di v ine mother The necessary instructions fo r the purpos e

.

were furnished t o h er by the Holy Spirit She commenced .

her life Of Mary n o t with the day Of her birth but at t h e

, ,

moment Of her im m aculate concep tion in the womb o fAnn a

her mother After narrating in detail all that her d ivine heroin e
.

did during t h e nine months that she passed in her mother s ’

bosom she informs us that the Virgin at the age Of three

,

years kept her home in order with the aid Of nine hundred
d o m estics all Of whom were angels u nder the c ontrol o ftheir
, ,

o wn prince the archangel Michael

,
What s t rikes yo u in the .

boo k is the assurance that whatever is said is said i n good

, ,

faith They are the visions Of a soarin g spirit unshadow ed

.
,

by prid e and inebriated Of Go d wh o believes tha t she reveals ,

”
nothing but what she is inspired with by the Holy Spirit .

A week s confinement t o t his volume produced such an

’

effect o n Casanova who though an unbeliever and a de

, ,

bauch e e was then enfeebled by melancholy bad air and bad

, ,

food tha t his sleep was haunted and his waking hours d is
,

t u rbe d by its horrible visions Many years after passing .

,

through Agrad a in O ld Castile he charmed the Old priest o f

, ,

that vill age by speaking o fthe biographer Of the virgin The .

p riest she wed him all t he spots which were consecra ted by
her p resence and bit t erly lamented that the court Of R ome
,

had refused t o canonize her It is the natural reflection o f .

t he writer that the boo k was well qualified t o turn a so litary

La C it é My st i qu e d e S oeur M ar ie de J esu s , a pp lle

e e d Agr a d a
’
.
 V IS ION S OF A N G EL S A ND DE V IL S . 27

prisoner mad or to m ake a man at larg e an atheist It ough t

’

.
,

not to be forgotten tha t the inquisitors Of state at Venice wh o

,

pres c ribed this book w ere probably Of the latter persuasion

,
.

It is a striking instance Of the i nfatuation Of those wh o i n ,

their eagerness to rivet the bigotry Of the ig n orant use means ,

which infallibly tend to S pread utter unbelief a m ong the

educat e d The book 1 s a di sgusting but in its general out
.
,

line see mingly fait hful picture Oft h e dissolute m anners spread
,

over the con t inent Of E urope in the mid dl e Of the eigh t e ent h
*
century .

F ables Of the kind abound in the popular and legendary

literature Of R o m anism where v er it bears sway I confine ‘

myself to a few instances fro m France . The highest sanctity

is no protection against monkish and sacerdotal superstition ,

creduli ty and delusion St Benedi c t saw the soul Of St . . .

Germain Of Capua carried up to heaven by angels Two .

,

monks saw the soul Of S t B enedict walking o n a carpet .

stret c hed from heaven down to mount Cassino Saint E u .

c h e r iu s was conveyed by an angel down into hell where h e ,

s a w the soul Of Charles Martel A holy hermit o f Italy saw .

devils wh o hurried the soul Of D agobert into a barque beatin g

, ,

h im all the w hile with sticks .

Eve n the highest flights Of F rench oratory are not free from
'
the unclean lea v en The illustrious B ossuet in his Or a i s on
.
,

F un ebre ( F uneral Ser m on) for the princess Palatine reports

“

t wo v isions which acted powerfully o n her royal highness ,

and whi ch determined all her conduct in the last years Of h er

life He said that the princess after lend in g a hundred
.
, ,

thousand francs t o the Q ueen Of Poland her sister sold t h e , ,

duchy Of Re t elo is fo r a million francs and advantageously ,

married her daughter who was unable to enj oy h er good for

,

t une be cause she doubted in regard to the Catholi c relig ion .

Ma ckin t osh “
View of t he Pr ogr es s of E th ical P hil oso phy p
’
s , . 29 8 .

h d lphi
P ila e a, 1 83 2 .
28
’
ROS S U E T S E x r RAV AGAN T GRE D UL ITY .

W hen her unhappy condition b ecame known t o her spiritual

guides a remedy was found She was called back to the
, .

belief and not the belief only but t o the lo v e Of its ineffable
, , ,

ve rities by two visio n s The first was a d ream in which a .

m a n b orn bli n d told her t ha t he h a d no idea Of light and

, , ,

that as he did she was to take the word Of o t hers as to

, ,

things yo u cannot conceive yourself The other was a v iolent .

c oncu s sion Of the brain in an atta ck Of fever She saw a barn .

d oor fo wl ru n ning after o n e Of her chickens w hich a dog held

i n his mouth The princess tore the chicken o u t Of the
.

dog s j aws A voice cried o u t

’

. Give him back his fowl 5 if ,

”
you rob hi m Of his fowl he will be a p oor guard for yo u , .

”
“
N O 1 exclai m ed the prin c ess I will never give i t him ,
”
b ack That chicken w as the s oul of the princess Palatine
.

herself Anne de Gonzague 5 the fo wl was the Chur ch 5 the

,

d o g w a s the devil 5 Anne d e Gonzague who would not give ,

the chicken back to the dog w as e ffectual grace , .

Bossuet delivered the sermon in which this is found t o

the Car m elite nuns Of the F au bo u rg Sain t Jacques in Paris -

b efore the wh ole house Of C ond é riveting his words by this ,

re m arkable sentence
L isten 1 Take special care not t o despise d ivine ad m o n i
”
tions and the guiding hand o fAl m ighty Goodness .

The L ord Jesus appeared to Saint Catharine o fSienna and

made her his wife giving her a ring as a token Of the m arri age
,
.

This apparition is described as credible because it is attested ,

by R ai m ond Of Capua general Ofthe D ominicans wh o was the , ,

l a dy s confessor
’
It has also the attestation Of Pope Ur ban
.

IV .

The appari t ion o fL a M ere A n gelique abb ess Of Port R oyal , ,

to S ister D orothy is rep orted by a m an Of great w eight

“
,
”
a m ong the J an s e n is ts n amely Sieur D ufo s s é author Of L e s
“
, , ,

M é m oires de Pontis According to his averment L a M ere

.
”
,

A n gelique long aft er her d ecease c a m e and took her o ld

, ,

pla c e in the Port R oyal church w ith her cross in h e r h and ,

.
 S A TA N THE OHUR OH S
’
FL A G ELL A TOR . 29

She ord ered her sister D orothy to b e sent for to who m S h e ,

”
com m unicated terrible secrets .

Am ong the me m orials Ofcredul ity and s uperstition Of those

who nourishe d me into a bloated personality few surpass and , ,

very fe w equal the abuses connected wi t h the fl ag ellat io n s

,

infl icted by the sufferer s o wn hand o r that o fan executioner

’

, ,

as a punishme n t for m iscondu c t or misbelief and a discipline

for spiritual gro w th and elevation The instru m ents e m .

ploye d are scou rges rods o r whip cords The parts chastised
, ,
-
.

are the bare back o r the p osteriors The for m er metho d is .

called the upper discipline 5 the latter the lower The deli ,
.

cate nature o f the subj ect co m p els m e to b e v ery particular

in the se l ection Of my materials 5 l est i n trying to expose ,

extravagance I compromise the interests Of modesty More

,
.

over my words m ust be fe w

, .

Saint Hilarion was Often exposed to the sa m e chast se m ent i

Of the scourge administered by me as the traditionalists afli rm 5

, ,

though why I should be anxious to promote the religious i m

pro v ement of such unsparing foes o fmine as are the sain ts
and t h e mo nk s I cannot imagi n e S aint Jerome however
, .
, ,

is as good an authority as most other ecclesiastical reporters ,

“
and he speaking Of St An thony declares : This wanton
,
.
,

gladiator (m yself) bestrides him beating his sides w ith his ,

heels and his head wi t h a scourge A great many other .

”

Saints (if we may believe the legends ) were exposed to similar

treat m ent The priest Gr imlai cu s the author o f an ancien t
.
,

Monastic Rule declares that devils Often insolently lay hold

,

o n men and lash the m in the sam e m anner as they used to

,

serve the blessed Anthony S aint F rancis d As s iS i as is .

’

related in the L eg en d a Au rea (the Golden L egend) received ,

a dreadful fl ag ell at io n fro m me the first night he was in

Ro m e .

In the L ife o fSaint Anthony written by Saint Athanasius , ,

L an gl et s ur l es A pp arition s 4 , v ols . V ol tair e, Die P h ilos

. . I . 4 69 5
Ed . 1785 .
80 . THE M ONK A ND THE MA GP IE .

may r ad ho w tha t holy m an was fre quently l as h ed in

you e

his cell by my se lf S o m e time however ( S O calumny says ) I

.
, ,

e mployed te m pta tions o f a diff erent kind in order t o se d uce

him O n c e fo r instance I appeared before the Saint in the
.
, ,

s hape O f a be a utiful young woman unclad The celebrated .

e ngraver Ca b o t has made o n e o f my alleged v isits to Saint

An t ho n y t he s ubj e c t Of a print which is inscribe d “

The , ,
”
T emptatio n o fS aint Anthony In it he represen t s a n ume
.

rous swarm o fd evils po uring at once into the Saint s cavern ’

most various in s ize countenance posture and armed with

, , ,

s q uirts ,
bellows a n d other ludicrous weapons ill ustrative Of
, ,

the religious taste Of the age .

The c elebrate d F rench printer Henri Etienne wrote his , ,

Ap e lo g ie pour He r o d o t e ( Ap o log y for Her o d o tus ) in order

to she w that tho s e who rej ect certain facts related by the
Greek historian o n accoun t Of their incredibility treat him
, ,

with t o o m uch rigour since a number o f facts d aily happen

,

which are altogether as surprising as those that are fo und in

that author O ne Of hi s instances follows
.
— A certain mo n k
Of S aint Anthony used o n Sunday t o preach in public in
dif ferent vi ll ages within an easy wal k from his monastery .

O ne d ay he asse mbled his congregation under a tree o n which

a m agpie had built her nest in order to produce an over
,

whel min g e ffect in favour Of hi mselfand his order in the n o t

easily m oved hearts Of his hearers In preparation for this .

d ecisive blow he placed in the nest a small bo x filled with

,

gunpowder TO this he attached a long t hi n penden t match

.
, ,

As soon as the end o f the slowly burning ma t ch wa s set o n

fire by his assistant he began his sermon Meanwhil e the
,
.

m agpie had returned to her nest and fin di ng in it a stran ge ,

body which she could n o t ej ect S h e fell into a passion and ,

b egan t o scrat c h with her feet and t o chatter insufferably .

The friar afl e c te d t o hear her without b eing dist urbed and ,

continued his ser mon with full co mposure 5 only he would

n o w and then lift his eyes toward the t o p Of the tree as if ,

he wanted t o see what was the matter At las t when he .

,
3 2 S ATA N A C RE ATION OF THE I MAG IN A TION .

S aint ( to gi ve him his usual title ) expresses himself in the

following words : D O not recede from that p aternal diligen c e
o u have manifested in your researches after Off enders i
y n ,

which yo u have succeeded in procuring c onfessions o f suc h

great cri mes not by using racks and red ho t blades Of iron
,
-
,

bu t only by the application Of ro ds This is a metho d Of coer .

c ion whic h is frequently practised by teachers Of the fine arts

upon their p upils by parents upon t heir children and Often

, ,

a lso by bishops upon those w ho m th ey find to have been

”
guilty Of O ffen c es Ano ther instance o f the same practice is
.

found in the words in which Cyprian speaks o f the modera

tion obs e rved in s uch punish m ents by C e s ar iu s bishop Of ,

Arles This holy man took c onstant care that those who
were subj ected t o his authority whet he r t hey were bond o r ,

free when they we re t o be w hipp ed fo r some O ffence they had

,

commi t ted should n o t rec eive m ore than thirty nine stripes
,
-
.

If a n y o fthe m however had been guilty Of a grievous fault

, , ,

then indeed he permitted them to be again lashed a fe w

, ,

”
days aft er wards though with a smaller number Of strip es
, .

S E C T ON VI .

T HE C R E A TI VE P OW E R OF T HE I MA G I NA TI ON HAS C ON TRI B U TE D TO B E L I E F
IN A P E R S ONAL D E V I L ; THE F A C T I LLU S TR A TE D F R OM DAN TE AN D
M I L TON .

The huma n imagination is capable Of giving birth t o dis

t o rt io n s the most grotesque and t o fig m e n ts the m ost unreal .

What but its freaks are monstrosities such as the mermaid

and the griffi n Alrea d y intellig ence confesses t h at vampires ,

ghosts and S pectres ar e nothing more substantial than rank

product s Of turbid dreams o r diseased fancy And under the .

c ontrol Of ignoranc e and barbaris m fancy is ever diseased , ,

and dream s are n o less turbid than monstrous The state o f .

m ind which b egot the unicorn b egot me I am S imply a .

H ist oria Flag ellan t ium , by on e wh o i s n ot a D o ct or of t he S orbon n e

( D e L l o me 5 t h i r d E n gl i s h E d it i on . 8 vo . L on d on , 1 785 .
 WH EN C E S ATA N S H O O F S A ND H ORN S ’
. 3 3

—
compound o f ill reputed features which belong to a score o f
the lower ani m als My general for m I get from the pagan
.

satyr ; wh ence also come my hoofs and m y shagginess 5 while the

goat supplies my horns and the bull and the ass my tail The .

p rinciple o f ugliness presided at my birth and h ad much to ,

do in my bringing up Hence my or d inary portraits are very .

u nsightly .When however a great genius takes the pallet and

, ,

the br ush t o pain t my person he produ c es so m ething which , ,

a midst all its deformities is grand and i m posing Transcribe ,

.

into your man us c ript my dear young friend the likeness o f, ,

me painted by the great creative poets D ante and Milton , .

D A N TE S A TAN
’
S .

The em p er or o ft h e kin gd om dl o or o u s .

XX .

V exi lla Reg is p r o d eu t Infern i m

To war d s us l k i f t fth
5 t h er e f or e oo n r on o e e,

My m t id i ft h
as e r s a di t hi m
, ou s c ern e s .
”

A wh t h
s, en b th h
er e y f g wh r ea es a eav o ,
or en

O h mi ph i d rk i g i t igh t
ur e s er e s a en n n o n ,

App f f
ear s f m ill t h wi d i t
ar o i ga e n s ur n n ,

M th ght t h t u h b ild i g t h I w 5
e ou a s c a u n en sa

A d f t h wi d I d w m y lf b eh i d
n or e n ,
re se n

My g i d b u th w
e, th
e ca u s e h lt e er e as n o o er s e r .

N ww I
o asd wi th f e
,
ani I p ut i t ar n v er se ,

Th wher e th h d w wh lly
er e d p
e s a es er e o c ov er e u ,

A d glim m d t h gh l ik
n er et t w i gl r ou e un o s ra s n ass .

S m p
o e lyi g th t d
r on e ar e t n ,
o er s s an er ec ,

Th i wi t h t h h d
s d th t e wi t h t hea l ,
an a on e e s o es 5
A thno b w lik
er , f t f ti t o -
e, ace o ee n v er s .

Wh i en d n a f w h d p
v an c e S O dd ar e a r o ce e e ,

Th t it my m t
a pl d t h w t m as er eas e o s e o e

Th t wh
e cr ea ur e h d th b t embl
o o n ce a e ea u e o us s an ce,

H f m bf
e ro m m e or ed dm d m t p e ov e an a e e s o ,

S yi g
a B H
n , Z D S d b
E h ld t h pl
OL D I , an e o e ace

Wh th w it h f t it d m t m t hy lf
er e ou or u e us ar se .
’

Hw f
o I b m d p w l th
r o z en ec a e an o er e s s en ,

A k it t
s d f I w i t it t
no ,
r ea er , or r e no ,

B ll l gu g w uld b i
eca u s e a an ffi i t a e o e n su c en .

I d id t d ino d I li e, m i d an t 5 a ve re a ne no

D
34 D A NTE ’
S S ATA N BY L ON GFELL O W
,
.

h T in k for thy lf w h t th u ght fwit se no ,

as o au o ,

W h t I b m b i g fb th d p i d
a e ca e, e n o o e r ve .

Th mp
e e ft h e ki g d m d l
er or o n o o or o u s

F m hi mi d b
ro t f t h i d f m th i 5
s -
r e as or s s ue ro e ce

A d b tt wi th gi t I mp
n e er a an co ar e

Th d t h gi t wit h th
an o e m an sfhi 5 o s e ar s o s

C idon s w h w g e t m t b th t w h l
er n o o r a us e a o e,

W hi h u t u h p t
c n f m it lf
o s c a ar c on or s se .

We h re fi e as h w i f
a r o n c e, l as e no s ou ,

A d lift d up hi b w g i t hi M k 5
n e s ro a a ns s a er

W ll m y p
e d f m him ll t i b l ti
a r o c ee ro a r u a on .

0 wh t
,
ma l it pp d t m
a arv e a e ar e o e,

Wh I b h l d th
en f e ehi h d r ee aces o n s ea

Th i f
e on e t d t h t mili w 5
n r on ,
an a v er on as

Tw w o ther e th th t w j i d with thi

e o ers , a er e o ne s

Ab t h m i ddl p t f ith
ov e e h ul d e ar o e er S o er ,

A d th y w
n j i d t g th t t h
e er e t5 o ne o e er a e c r es

A d t h igh t h d
n e r m d t wixt whi t
-
an d y ll o n e s ee e
’
e an e ow

Th l ft we e ht l k p a s s uc th o oo u o n as os e

Wh m f m wh
o ca t h N il f ll
e ro ll w d er e e e a s va ey -
ar .

U d
n th h m f th t w mighty wi g
ern e a e ac ca e or o n s,

S h uc b fitti g w
as e g t bi d 5 n er e s o r ea a r

S ila ft h s o I w
e s ea l g n e v e r sa so ar e .

N f th
o ea h d th y b t
er s a f bt e ,
u as o a a

Th i f h i
e r w as 5 d h won w i g th m as an e as av n e

S toh t t h a w i d p r eed d f t h th f m n s r o cee e or er e r o .

Th by C yt wh lly w
er e oc g ld
us o as c on ea e .

W ith i y di d h w p
s x e esd d w th hi e ee ,
an o n r ee c ns

T i kl d t h t
r c e d p d t h bl dy d i l
e e ar -
ro s an e oo r ve .

At y m t h he with hi t th w
e v er on u hi g s ee a s cr nc n

A i i th m
s n n er, f b k
n e an n er o a ra e,

S t h t h e th
o a ft h m t m t d th u r ee o e or en e s .

T hi m i f
o t t h biti g w
n r on ght e n as as n au

U t t h l wi g f
n o e c a m tim t h p i n ,
or s o e es e S ne

Utt ly t i pp d f ll t h ki
er s r m i d
e o a e s n re a n e .

Th t t h h h g t t p i
’
a ul so
p w i
u h t h er e c as e r ea e s a n,

Th m t e id ‘
i J d
as er s a I i t5 , s u as s car o

With h d i id h p li hi l g wi th ut
ea ns e, e es s e s o .

Oft h t w th
e wh h d d w w d
o o er s , o ea o n ar s ar e,

Th wh h g f m t h bl k j wl i B ut u 5
e on e o an s ro e ac o s r s

S h w h w ith
ee o hi m lf d p k w d
e r es se ,
an s ea s no or

A d t h th
n e o wh t lw t m i C i u
er , o SO s a ar s ee s, s as s s .

B t i gh t i di g d t i tim ’
u n s r e as c en
-
n ,
an s e

Th t w d p t f w h
a e e eear t h e wh l
,
or e av e s n o e .
 M IL TON S S ATA N ’
. 3 5

T his portrait o fa drivelling devil is disgusting rather than

form idable Yet i ncisive is it enough to cut and leave an
.

i mage of itself o n the p op u lar imagin ation Whatever hu m an .

feature is presented if only it is human stamps itself o n the, ,

mind and tends to make me a personal reality It is how

,
.
,

ever to Milton s spirit o f fire and plastic hand that I am

,
’

most indebted His Satan stands supreme Sp ecially is he

. .

the creative p ower and the s olid s upp or t o f the demonology

Of modern pop ul ar chur ches Yet even this gi gantic figure .

begins t o p ale an d wane .

S A TA N AD D R E S S THE S UN
’
S To .

0 th ou th at with s urp assin g gl ory cr own ed

, , ,

L o o k est from t h y sol e d omin i on lik e t h e Go d

Ofthi s n ew w o ld 5 at w h o s e Si gh t all t h e s t ar s
r

Hid e th eir di min is h ed h ea d s 5 t o th ee I call ,

But wi th n o fr ie dl y oice 5 an d a d d t hy n ame n v

,

0 Su t o t ell th e e h ow I h at e t hy b eams
n, ,

Th at b rin g t o my em emb an c e f om wh at st at e r r r

,
l ri u s n —
I f ell h ow g o o o ce abo e t hy sph e e 5 v r

Till p ri d e an d w or s e ambiti on t h ew m e d ow r n,

Warri g in h ea e ag ai st h eav e s m at chl ess K in g

n v n n n
’
.

A h ! wh e e f o e He d es erv e d n o s uch r eturn

r r

F om m e wh om h e c eat e d wh at I was
r ,
r

In t h at bri gh t emin e c e a d wit h hi s g oo d n ,

n

Upb r ai d e d h d
n on e ; n or was his s er vi ce ar .

Wh t ald b l th
cou t ff d him p i e es s an o a or r a s e,

Th i t
e e as esmp d p y hi m th k
r eco en c e, an a an s

H w d u y t ll hi g d p
o e d ill i me a s oo r ov e n e,

A d w gh t b t m li 5 lift d p
n r ou hi gh u a ce e u so ,

I d i d
’
s bj ti
a ne d th gh t su t p hi gh e
ec on , an ou on e s e r

W l d t m hi gh t
ou se d i m m t quit
e es ,
an n a o en

Th d b t i mm
e ef dl g t it d en s e o en es s ra u e,

S b d
o m 5 t i ll p yi g till t
ur en s o w 5 e s a n , s o o e

F g t ful wh t f m hi m I till
or e i d 5a ro s r ec e ve

Ad n d t d t t h t g t f l mi d
un ers o o no a a ra e u n

B y wi g w
o t b t till p y
n o t es n o ,
u s a s, a o n ce

I d b t d d di s h g d 5 wh t b d th
n e e an c ar e a ur en en

0 h d hi p w f l d st i y
a s di d o er u e n or a ne

M m i f i
e so gl Ih d t d
e n er or a n e ,
a s oo

Th h ppy 5 u b d d h p e h d i d
en a no n oun e o a r a se

D 2
36 M ILTON S ’
S ATA N
A mbiti on Yet why n ot S om e o th er p ower
As g gh t h
r eat pi d d m t h ugh m
mi av e as re , an e, o ean ,

D w t hi p t 5 b t th p w
ra n o s ar g t u o er o ers as r ea

F ll t b t t d u h k
e no ,
u f m w i th i
s an ns a en , ro n

O f m wi th ut t
r ro ll t mp t ti o m d , o a e a on s ar e .

H d t th u th
a s me f o will d p w
e sa t t d r ee an o er o s an

Th ou h d t w h m h t t h u th
a s wh t t o u e_ as o en o r a o ac c s

B t h f e l d lt q ll y t ll ?
’
u eav en s r e ov e ea e ua o a

B th
e hi l en d5 i l
s h te
ov e accu rs e s n ce ov e or a ,

T m
o li k it d l
e a t l w
e, ea s e er n a oe

N y u
a ,
d b th u 5 i
c rs e g i t hi thy will
e o s n ce a a n s s

Ch os e f ly wh t it w j tly u
r ee a no so us r es .

M mi e bl wh i h w y h ll I fly
s era e c a s a

I fi i t w th d i fi i t d p i
n n e ra an n n e es a r

Wh i h w y I fly i h ll 5 my lf m h ll 5
c a s e se a e

A d i th l w t d p l w d p
n n e o es ee a o er ee

S t ill th t i g t d u m p wi d 5
r e a en n o ev o r e O en s e

T whi h t h h ll I uf
o c f me h e s e r s ee s a ea v en .

0 th t l t
en a l t i th as pl r e en s er e n o ac e

L ft f
e p t or r e f p d en l ft
an c e , n on e or ar on e

N on e l ft b t by b mi i 5 d th t w d
e u su ss o n an a or

D i d i f b id m
s a n d my d
or d fh m
s e, an r ea o s a e

A m g t h p i it b
on th 5 w h m I d d
e S r s en ea o se u ce

With th p mi o erd th ro t ses an o er v a u n s

Th an t b mit 5 b ti g I ld bd u
o su oa s n cou su e

Th Om ip t t
e Ah m
n th y littl k w
o en . e e e no

H w d ly I bi d th t b t
o e ar a i 5 e a oa s s o va n

U d wh t t m t i w dly I g
n er a or 5 en s n ar r o an

W h il th y d e m e t h th
a or efh ll e on e r on e o e

With di d em d apt h igh d an d s ce re a v an ce

,

Th l we till I f ll 5 ly p m
o er s a on su re e

I mi
n y h j y mb iti fi d
s er suc o a on n s .

B t
u y I sa l d p t d
c ou ld b t i
re en , an cou o a n

B y t fg ac my f m
o t t 5h w
r ace or er s a e o s o on

W uld h ight
o ll h igh th ght h w
e r e ca u y ou s, o s o on n sa

Wh t f ig d mbiti
a e wne E a w ul d t on s or e as e o r e can

V w m d i p i
o s a i l t
e n d ida n, as v o en an vo .

F o r n ev e r can tu il m t g w r e r eco n c e en ro

Wh w
er e d fd dly h t h p i d d e p 5
ou n s o ea a e av e er ce so e

Whi h w l d b t l d m t
c ou w u lp ea e o a orse r e a se

A d h i f ll
n e av er h ld I p h d a so s ou ur c ase e ar

S h t i t mi i
or n b ght with d bl m t
er s s on ou ou e s ar .

Th i k w my P u i h
s no 5
s t h e ef f n s er r or e as ar
 F r om g ti g h ranI f m b ggi g p
n e, as ro e n ea ce

A ll h p x lud d th 5 b h ld i t d
o e e c e us e o n s ea

Of t t xil d hi w d ligh t
u s o u ca s ,
e e , s ne e ,

M ki d
an t d
n d f r hi m th i w l d
, cr ea e ,
an o s or .

S O, f w ll h par e d wi t h h p
e f w ll f 5
o e, an o e, ar e e ear

F w ll m
ar e e ll g d t m i l t 5
re or s e a oo o e s os

E il b t h my g d 5 by t h
v ,
e ou t l t oo ee a ea s

D i i d d m p i wit h h
v e e Ki g I h ld
re eay en s
’
n o ,

B y th d m
ee, th h lf p h p will ig ;
an or e an a er a s re n

A m
s l g d t h i w w ld h ll k w
a n er e on an s ne or s a no .

Th wh il h
us pk h p i dimm d hi f
e e s a e, eac as s on e s a c e,

Th i h g d with p l i
r ce c an y dd pi 5
e a e r e, en v ,
an es a r
—

Wh i h m c d hi b w d i g
ar r e d b t y ds or r o e v sa e, an e ra e

Him t f it i f y y b h l d
c ou n e r e , an e e e e

Wh fh w e r eo e so on a ar e,

E h p t u b ti
ac erm t h d w ith
r a tw d l m
on s oo e ou ar ca ,

A t ifi
r ff d 5 d w th fi t
c er o r au an as e rs

Th t p a ti d f l h d d
r ac sei t ly h w a se oo un er sa n S o ,

D p m li t
ee a l h d with
ce g
o c on c ea ,
c ou c e r e v en e .

—
What is this but man man fr om first t o last ? noble
if a ruined man 5 such a m an as only the grand soul o f
Milton could h ave dra wn Those strong deep violent and .
, ,

rapi dl y interchanging passions are s t rictly human Hum an .

too is the touch of tenderness the starting tear the momen ,

'
,

t arily yielding soul yo u find here E mphatically hu m an is .

the intimately connected chain o freasonin g that runs through

all and incessantly leading wrong closing the avenues o f ,

instinctive feeling Then how fine the contrast between the

.

master passion a m bition a n d nascent s ub mission the sole

, , ,

road open to returning peace

There is however one phrase whi c h sta mps the whole with
, ,

“ ”
the true features o fhumanity myself am hell Yes the , ,

only true hell is the wi cked m an himself An d thus it is seen .

tha t I a m no proper devil but hu m an S in and hum an s uffering ,

personified Thus can yo u explain h o w it is that in this sub

.

lime portrait qualities s o gre at are in t er woven with passions

so diaboli c al ? And so we m ay be justified in declaring Milton s ’

Paradise L ost a spiritual allegory painting t o the eye the , ,

38 S ATA N IS M A N ATTE M P T TO E XP L A IN E V IL .

head the heart the foulness and terror o f rebellion agains t

, ,

the Author and Governor of the universe In this vie w .

,

the sublime p oem is a theodicy illustrating and vindi c ating

the course of D ivine Providence and especially j ustifying
“
,
”
the ways o f God to man I seem to myself t o have her e
.

touched o n the t h ought whi ch accounts for and explains all

that has been said and writ t e n o n the dark and p erplexed
subj ect of demonology .

Moreover with the subli m e creation before us at thi s

,

mome n t yo u wil l readily see that the huge gr o s t es q ue fan

, , ,

t as t ic and repulsive pi ctures given o f me by Milton as well

as D ante and others do n o t describ e real b odily conditions
, ,

as indeed appears fi o m their mutu al contradictions but are ,

symbols of moral deformities so foul and terrible as t o de m and

for their expression an appeal to the external senses .

An other conclusion ensues fro m these po etic lessons Clearly .

I in my worst that is my es s ential features am here at a

, , ,

great distance from my zenith If the soul o f Milton may .

in any c onsiderable degree b e taken as the type and measure

o f hi s age t h e w orld is n o w gro w ing to o cultured and to o
,

w ise to be wholly satisfied with the fond devilisms o f the

middle ages .

I
S E C T ON VI .

F EA R N G E ND E R S M E N TAL D E CE P TI ON S I N C LUD IN G B E L IE F I N A P E R S ONAL

E ,

D E VIL ; THE TE RRI F Y IN G P UL PIT ; THE H E R ALD S C OLL E GE OF D E M ON ’

OL OG Y ; S A TAN I C A RI S TOC R A C Y ; V U L G A R D E V I L S .

T ime r
f If the
e c it L at n
d ebs
i poe.t is right in declaring
that fear made his gods he would not have been w rong had,

he ass erte d t h e same of devil s F ear is the prolific fountain .

o f devilry Had m an n o t been a victim o ffear I should never

.
,

have li ved F ear the primal s ource o f devilism still over

.
, ,

flo w s w ith its bitter and lo athsome waters .

N o fear S O po w erful as that w hich is begotten o n false

religion In superstitious fear lies the great lever o f t h e
.
 40 P U L P IT ER ROR S C R E ATE
T AN D S U PP OR T DE V IL IS M .

u nboun d ed and intolerab le torments Of the u n que n c h abl e

fire and the tortures o fthe undying wor m and t h e dark an d
, ,

frightful abyss o f hell and the bitter ho w lings and w oful ,

.

—
wailings and w eeping and gnashing o f teeth 5 and all thos e
,

dire w oes without end ? D eliverance from these after death

there is n one 5 neither is there any device o r contrivance fo r
escaping these bitter torments But n o w it is possible t o .

escape 85 0 .

The n ex t s p e c im en is from The Fig tree o fJohn Bunyan -

( l 6 2 8 —1 6 8 8 )
“
And he ( Christ ) be g ins shake
n ow tree with his to t he fig -

threatenings ‘F et c h o u t the axe N o w t h e ax e is d eath ’

. . .

‘
D eath therefore is called fo r D eath come smite me this .
, ,

—
fig tree And withal the L ord shakes this S inner and whirl s
.
’

h im u pon a sick bed saying Take h im D eath He hath , , , .

abused my pat i ence and forbearan ce not remembering that i t ,

should have led h im to repenta n ce and t o the fruits thereof , .

D eath fetch aw ay this fig tree t o the fire fet c h this barre n

,
-

profe s sor to he ll 1 At this D eath c o m es with grim lock s ’

into the ch amber 5 yea and Hell follows t o the bed side and ,
-
,

b oth stare this professor in the face ; yea begin t o lay han d s ,

u pon him o n e smiting h i m with pains in his b ody

,
with ,

head ache heart ache b a ck a che shortness o fbreath fainting

-

,
-

,
-

, ,

qual m s tre mbling o fj oints stopping at the c hest an d alm os t

, , ,

a ll the sy m pto m s o fa m an past re c overy N o w while D eath .

,

th us tor m enti n g the b ody Hell is doing with the mi n d ,

and co n science strik ing the m with its pains c astin g sparks o f
”
, ,

fire in thit her wou n ding with so rrows and fears o feverlasting
,

d am nation the spirit o fthis poor creat u re .

“
These th in g s proving ine ffectu al Go d se n d s a series o f ,

terrors each w orse th an its predecessor He takes hold o f

,
.

his axe again and sends d eath t o his wife t o his chil d t o his
, , ,

c attle Your young men have I slain and taken away your
.
,

T h ese e xt at r c s a re t a k en f ro m “
H ist o r y an dR ep o s it o ry ofP ulp it Elo
q u e n c e,
”
by H y en r C F ish
. . 2 v o ls . s ma ll q uart o Ne w York 1 8 5 7 , .
 BUN V AN S
’
S UL PH U ROU S T ERROR S . 41

ho rse s . I will blast him cross him disappoint him and

9

, , ,

cast h im do w n and will set m yself ag ains t hi m in all h e

,

putte th his hand unt o N o w the axe begins t o be heaved

highe r . I s m ote thee ye t thou has t not turned unto m e
, ,

saith the L ord In thy fil t hin e ss is le w dness Because I

. .

have purged thee and thou wast not pu rged thou sh alt not ,

be purged fro m thy filt hin e s s any more t il l I hav e ca u sed my ,

fury to rest upon thee Cut it d o wn 5 w hy doth it cumber

'

the ground ? But t o giv e a few particulars o f this man s

’ ’

d ying 1 His fruitless fruit beleaguers h im around his bed

. .

2 Some terrible discovery t e rrifi e s his g uilty cons c ienc e

. .

3 Terrors take hold o fhim w hen he se es the ya wnin g j a w s

.

o fdeath gape upon him 4 By reaso n Ofguilt his l ife ha n gs

. .

i n continual dou bt before h im and he is afraid day and night , .

5 Want co m es up ag ainst h im lik e an arm ed m an

. 6 Together , . .

w ith these stand by the c o mpanions o f death — DE A TH A ND

H ELL DE ATH A ND DE V IL S DE ATH A ND ENDLE S S TOR M EN T IN
, ,

THE E V ERL A S TIN G FL AM E S O F D E V OUR I N G F I RE .

“
D eath is at w ork cutting him down hewing both back
, ,

and heart both body and soul asunder The man groans
,
.
,

but D eath hears him n o t 5 he looks ghastly d istressingly , ,

dej ectedly 5 he sigh s he sweats he trem bles —D eat h matters

, ,

n othing F earful symptoms haunt him 5 m isgivings d ireful

.
,

apprehensions o f Go d terrify h im N o w he hath tim e t o .

think what the loss o fheaven will be and what the torm ents ,

o fhell will be n o w he looks no way but he is frighted

5 , .

“
N o w would he live but may n o t 5 he would live tho ugh it
, ,

were but the li fe o f a bed ridden man but must not He -

,
.

that cuts him do w n sways him as the feller o f w ood sw ays ,

— —
the tottering tree n o w this way then that 5 at last a root ,

breaks a heart string an eye string snaps asunder

,
-

,
-

‘
And n o w could the soul b e annihilated o r brought t o
,

nothing h o w happy wo ul d it count it s elf ! But it Sees that

,

m ay not be Wherefore it is put t o a wonderful strait S t ay

. .

in the bo d y it may n o t 5 go o u t o fthe bo d v i t d ares not Life .

42 J OH N W E S LE Y S ’ “
G RE A T As sIz E .
”

is going 5 the blood settles in the flesh a n d the lungs being ,

no more able to dra w breath through the n ostrils at last o ut ,

goes the weary tre m bling so ul and is i mme di ately seized by

, ,

de v ils who lie lurking in e very hole in the cham ber for that
,

very purpose His friends take care o fthe body and wrap it
.
,

u p in the S heet o r co f fin 5 but the so ul is o u t o ftheir t hought

and reach going down to the chambers o fdeath
,

—
John Wesley ( 1 7 0 3 1 7 9 1 ) must n o t be overloo k ed IV h at .

“
ensues is taken from his sermon entitled The Great Assize
The wicked shall be turned into hell even all the people ,

that forget Go d They will b e punished with everlasting

.

destruction from the presence o f the L ord and fro m the ,

glory o f his p o w e r They will b e cast into the lake o f fire

.

burning with brimstone originally prepared for the devil and

,

his angels where they will g naw their tongues for anguis h
,

and pain they will curse God and look up w ard There t h e
—
.
,

d ogs o f hell pride malice re v enge rage horror despair

, , , , ,

continuall y devour them There they have no rest day o r .

night but the s m oke o ftheir torment ascendeth fo r ever and

,

ever 5 for their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched ,
.

T h en the heavens will b e shrivelled up as a parch m ent scroll .

See ! see He cometh He maketh the clouds his

chariot ! H e rideth up on the wings o f the wind ! A de
v ou r in
g fi r e goe t h b efore him and after him a fla m e burneth,
!
S ee He sitteth upon his thr one clothed with li ght as with ,

a garment arrayed with maj esty and honour ! Behold his

, ,

eyes are as a flame o f fir e his voice as the sound o f m any ,

waters ! Ho w will ye escape ? Will ye call to the moun

tains t o fall o n you the rocks t o cover yo u ? Alas ! the
,

moun tains themselves the rocks the earth the heavens are
, , , ,

j ust ready to flee away ! Can ye prevent the sentence ?

W here w ith ? With all the substanc e o f thy ho u se with ,

thousands o fgold and silver ? Blind wretch ! Thou camest

naked from thy m other s w o mb and worse than naked thou’

goest into eternity H ear the Judge Hear that voice which
.
 WHITFIEL D “
A FAC TO R F OR THE DE V IL .
”
43

‘
e c hoes through the expans e of heaven D epar t ye cur sed , ,

into everlastin g fire ! L o hell is moved from beneath to

’
,
”
receiv e those who are r ipe for destru c tion .

—
George Whitfield ( 1 7 1 4 1 7 7 0 ) shall supply a fe w w ords
fro m his disco ur se on The Kingdo m of Go d
I w as long m yselfde c eived with a for m of go dliness and ,

I kno w w hat it is to b e a factor for the devil to b e led c aptive ,

by the devil at hi s will to have the kingdo m o f the devil in

,

my he art 5 and I hope I can say through free g race I k n ow

, ,

what it is to have the kingdo m of Go d in me N o w w h en .

,

the Sabb ath is over an d the evenin g is drawing n ear m e

, ,
!

thi nks the very sight is awful to think i n h o w short a tim e

—
every so ul o fyou m ust di e so m e of yo u to go to heaven and ,

others to go to the devil fo r everm ore O m y dear friends ,

these are m atters of etern al mo m ent Are you wil ling ? Then .

Chr i t is willi ng to co m e t o you Bu t you m ay s ay Will

s .
,

Christ co m e to my wicked heart ? Yes though vou m ay have ,

m any de vi ls in your heart Chr ist will co m e and erect h is

,

thr one there 5 tho ugh the devils b e in your heart the L ord
i
,

Jesus will scourge out a legion o fdevils an d his throne shall ,

be exal t ed in thy soul .F ly then for your l ives ! The

devil is in you while un converted 5 and will you go with the
”
devil in yo ur heart to bed this night ?
I ter m inate these illustrati ons of t h e way in w hich the
pul pit has established on earth the throne o f a p ersonal devil
—
by a quotation from Jonathan E dwards ( 1 7 0 3 1 7 5 8 ) D is ’

course o n Sin n e rs in the Hands o fan An gry Go d

“
There is nothing which keeps w icked m en out o f hell
but the mere pleasure o fG o d Go d is not only able t o cast
.

wicked men into hell but he can most e asily do it They

,
.

deserve to b e cast into hell E very un converted m an pro

.

perly b elongs to hell They are now the obj ects o f that
.

very same anger and wrath o f God that is expressed in the

tor m ents o f hell Yea God is a great deal m ore angry w ith
.
,

m any that are now in this congregation that it m ay be are , , ,

at ease and quiet than he is w it h m an v of those that are i n

,
44 JO N A THA N ED WARD S
’
HO RRORS or HEL L .

t h e fl ames hell The wrath o f Go d burns against th e m

of . .

Their da m nation does n o t slumber The pit is prep ared . .

The fi re is made ready The furnace is n o w h o t ready to

.
,

receive them 5 the flames d o n o w rage and glow The devil .

stands ready t o fall upon them an d seiz e them as his o wn a t

, ,

what moment Go d shall permit They belon g t o him ; he .

has their souls in his p ossession and unde r his dominion .

The scripture represen ts the m as his go ods The devils watch .

the m They are e v er by them at their right hand They

. .

sta n d waiting for them like greedy hungry lions that s e e

, ,

their prey and expect to have it but are fo r the present kept ,

back : if Go d should withdraw his hand by w hich they are

rest rained they would in o n e mo m ent fly upon their p oo r
,

s ouls The o ld serpent is gaping for the m There is laid in

. .

the very n ature o fcursed men a foundation fo r the torments

o f hell . N atural men s p rudence and care t o preser v e their
’

o wn lives o r the care o fothers t o preserve them d o n o t secure

, ,

the m a moment Whatever pains a natural man takes in

.

religion whatever prayers he makes till he believes in Christ

, , ,

God is under no manner o fobligation t o keep him a moment

fro m eternal destruction So that thus it is that natural m e n
.

are held in the hand o f Go d over the pit o f hell 5 they have
d eserved the fiery pit and are al ways sentenced to it 5 and
,

Go d is dreadfully provoked ; his anger is as great toward

them as t o those that are actually suf fering the execution o f
the fl er c en e s s o fhis wrath in hell and they have done nothing ,

i n the least to appease o r abate that anger 5 neither is Go d in

the least bound by any promise t o hold them up o n e moment .

The devil is wai ting for the m hell is gapin g fo r them and , ,

w o uld fain lay hold o n the m and swallow the m up 5 the fire
p ent up in thei r o wn hearts is struggling t o break o ut ; and
they have n o interest in any Mediator 5 there ar e n o means
w ithin reach that can be any security t o them In short .
,

they have n o refuge nothing t o lay hold o f5 all that preserves

,

the m e v ery mome n t is the mere a rbitrary will and unco

v e n an te d u nobliged fo rbearing o f a n
,
incensed Go d The .
 DE M ONOL OG Y B E C OM E S A S C IEN C E . 45

God that holds yo u over the pit o f hell m uch as o n e holds ,

some loathso m e insect over the fire abhors you and is dread , ,

fully provoked His w rath to wards you burns like fire He

. .

looks upon you as worthy o f nothing else but t o be cast into

the fire Yo u hang by a slender thread with the flam es o f
.

d ivin e wrat h flashing about i t and ready every moment to ,

burn it asunder Go d wi ll have no compassion n o mercy no

.
, ,

m oderation He w il l only laugh and mock Ho w many is

. .
,

it likely will re m ember this d iscourse in hell ? An d it would

,

be a wonder if some that are now present should n o t b e in

hell in a very short time before this year is o ut An d it ,
.

would be n o wonder if so m e persons t hat n o w sit here in .

some seats o fthis meeting house in health and quiet and -

secure should be t here before to morrow morning

,
-
.

In transcribing especially the last passage I almost feel as

, ,

if the Go d there describe d and myself as popularly describe d , ,

had changed places C ertainly the heart o fthe preacher m ust

.

h ave been in o n e o f those morbid sta t es which engender

mental deceptions o fthe most fearful nat ure .

In addition t o these indirect but very e ffec t ual methods

o f making the world believe in me direct m eans were taken ,
'

fo r the same res ul t In the dark ages o f European history

.
,

D emonology became a science In som e so rt it had i t s .

Heralds College whose business it w as to classify d emons

’

in such a way as t o d o and secure graduated j ustice t o the

infernal aristocracy This would be satisfactorily done only
.

by ascertaining what rank in t h e celestial hierarchy had been

originally held by this devil a n d that Here the school m en .

were busy In the F all wh at orders o f a ngels were in

.
,
”

volved ? The momentous question received so m ething like a

final answer L ucifer was a Seraph ; Ag ares Belial and
.
,

Barbat o s w ere o f the order o f Virtues 5 Bil e th Eo r c alo r and

, “
,
!

Phoenix o f the orde r o f Thrones 5 Goap o f the order o f

, ,

Po wers 5 Purson o f Virtues and Thrones ; an d Murm ur o f

, ,

Thrones and Angels Then cam e the inquiry Ho w many .

,

angels engaged in the revolt ? Another weighty p o int was ,

46 THE D IAB OL ICA L HIE R AR CHY .

Where di d the b attle take place Anoth er Ho w long did it ,

“
last ? Mark the precision o f the answer giv en : It lasted
three seconds S omehow while L ucifer with his followers
.
,

fell into hell the rest o f the rebels were it was concl u de d
, , ,

left in the air to te m pt man A most interesti n g question .

was that whi ch asked Whether more angels fell with me ,

t han re m ained in heaven with Mi chael ? It w as a knotty

point They might have known all ab out it had they ap
.
,

pealed t o myself ; but I fancy the ans w er would n o t have

suited them for I should have told the m that the whole was
,

a sil ly fable Indeed o n e grain o fco mm o n sense would have

’

.
,

spared the doctors a world o f trouble and saved society fro m ,

terrific falsities .

The actual decision was that I had been beaten by a superior ,

force Hence an inference whi ch scarcely agrees with the

.
,

ordinary notion that the de vil s are as numerous as human

,

—
beings the inference that devils o f darkness were fewer in
number than angels o flight .

These preliminaries bein g settled the learning o fChr isten ,

d o m underto ok t o restore some degree o f order in my routed

forces Hence extensive districts were allotted t o certa in o f
.

“
m y leading sub or din ates There was Z emim ar the lordly .
,

monar ch o f the N orth as Shak espeare styles him There ,

”
.

was Gors o n king o f the South 5 Am ayon king o f the E ast

, ,

and Goap prince o f the West Thes e sovereigns had under

,
.

them m any S pirits with blood as blue as that o f the Howards

o r o f Wil li am the C onqu eror They were classed as D evil .

D uk es D evil Marquises D evil C oun ts D evil Earls D evil

, , , ,

Knights D evil Presidents and (alas D evil P relates

, ,
.

Yo u ask m e my p atient listener if I can trace the descent

, ,

o f any o f these my subj ects down into lofty personages o f

, ,

to day and shrink ing from the resp onsibil ity I say in reply
-
, ,

Present company always excepte d though I p ossess g en ea

logi c al registers whi c h if ever published w ill di splay before
, ,

the eyes o f the world much impurity o f heart c ombined with

undoubted purity o f blood in t h e case of many who have ,
48 A R M OR IA L B E A R IN G S IN S A TAN S ’
KIN G D O M .

in the degree in which they were caricatures o f everythin g

human and bestial and that th e m ore because w a s it not well
, ,

known that dev ils p ossessed th e power o f indefinite self

t ra n s figur a t io n and h a d an invincible propensity for ugliness
,

a n d mons t rosity ? When ( says D r Hibbert ) in the middle .

,

ages conjuration was regularly practised in E urope devils o f

, ,

rank were supp osed t o appear under decided forms by which ,

they were as well recognized as t h e head o f any ancient

fa mil y wo uld be by his crest and armorial bearings Along .

with their names and characters were registered such S hap es

as they were accustomed to adopt A devil w o ul d appear .

either lik e an angel seated in a fiery chariot 5 o r riding o n an

infernal d ragon and carrying in his righ t hand a viper ; o r
a ssu m ing a lion s head the feet o f a goose and a hare s tail 5
’ ’

, ,

o r putting o n a raven s he a d and mounted o n a s trong wolf

’

,
.

O ther forms m ade use o f by de m ons were those o fa fierce

warrior o r o f an o ld man riding o n a crocodile with a haw k
,

in his hand A hu m an figure would arise havin g the wings

.

o f a griffi n 5 o r sporting three heads t wo o f them b e ing like ,

those o fa t oad and o fa ca t 5 o r defended with huge teeth and

horns and armed with a sword ; o r displaying a dog s teeth
,
’

and a large raven s head 5 o r mounted up on a pale horse and

’

,
’
exhibiting a serpent s tail ; o r gloriously crowned and riding
upon a dromedary ; o r presenting the face o f a lion 5 o r be
striding a bear and graspin g a viper A de m oniacal king would .

ride upon a pale horse o r would assume a leopard s face and

,
’

rifli n s w ings o r put o n the three heads o f( l ) a b ul l a

( )
’

g ,
2 ,

man an d ( 3 ) a ram 5 taking also a serpent s tail and the feet o f

,
’

a goose ; and in this attire S it o n a dragon and bear in his

hand a lance and a flag 5 o r instead goad the flanks o f a , ,

furious bear and carry in his fist a hawk O ther forms were .

those o f a goodly knight 5 o r o f o n e wh o b ore lance ensigns , ,

and even sceptre 5 o r o f a soldier either riding a black horse ,

and surrounded wit h a flam e o f fire 5 o r wearing a duke s ’

crown and mounted o n a crocodile 5 o r assuming a lion s face ’

and wi t h fiery eyes spurring o n a gigantic charger 5 o r with

, , ,
 D IAB OL ICA L M ON S TRO S ITIE S . 49

the same frightful aspect appearing in all the pomp o ffamily ,

distinction o n a pale horse ; o r clad fro m head to foot in

crim son raiment wearing o n his b old front a crown and
,

sallying forth o n a red steed S ome infernal duke would .

appear in hi s proper character qui etly seated o n a gr ifli n '

another spirit o fa similar rank woul d d isplay the three heads

o f a serpent a man and a cat 5 he would also bestride a
, ,

viper and carry in his hand a firebrand 5 another o f the

, ,

sa m e sta mp would appear like a duchess encircled with a

, ,

fiery zone and m ounted o n a camel 5 a fourth would wear

the aspect of a boy and amuse hi mself on the back o f a two
headed dragon A few S pirits ho w ev er would b e content
.
, ,

with the s im ple garb o f a horse a leopard a lion a unicorn , , , ,

a night raven a stork a peaco ck o r a dro m edary 5 the latter

, , ,

animal speaking fluently the E gyptian language O thers .

would assu m e the more co m plex form s o f a lion o r a dog ,

with a gr iffin s w ings attached to each o f their shoul ders 5 or

’

o f a b ull equally well g ifted 5 o r o f the same ani mal dis

t in gu is h e d by the S ingul ar appendage o f a man s face 5 o r of

’

a Crow clothed with hu m an flesh ; o r o f a hart wit h a fiery

tail To certain other noble devi ls were assigned such shapes
.

as those o f a dragon with three heads o n e o fthos e being ,

human 5 o fa wolf with a s erpent s tail breathing forth flam es ’

o ffire 5 o fa she wolf exhibiting the same caudal appendage

-

, ,

fin s win gs and ej ecting fro m her m outh

’
t ogether with a g rif ,

hi deous matter A lio n would appear either with the head

.

o fa branded thief o r astride upon a black horse and playing

‘
, ,

with a viper o r adorned with the tail o fa snake and grasp i ng

, ,

in his pa ws t w o hissing serp ent s These were the varied .

shapes assu m ed by devi s of rank In an ancient L atin l

.

poem describin g the lamentable vision o f a devoted her m it

,

and supposed to have been written by St Bernard in the year .

1 2 3 8 vulgar devils app ear whose business o n earth w a s m erely

,

to carry a w ay condemned souls These are described as bla cker .

than pitch 5 having teeth like lions nails on their fingers like ,

those of a wild boar o n their foreheads horn s through t he

, ,

E
50 VU L GA R DE VIL S .

e xtremities o f whi ch poison was emitt ed ; havin g wide e ars

flo wing with corruption and d ischarging serpents with thei r
m
,

nostrils The d evout writer o f these verses has even a e co

.

a n ie d them wit h drawings in which the addition o f the

p ,

cloven foot is n o t omitted But this appe ndage as Sir .

,

Thom as Brown h as l e arnedly proved is a mi stake whi ch has , ,

a risen from the devil frequently appearing to the Jews in

the shape o f a roug h and hairy goat this animal be ing the ,

e mblem o fsin off erings It is worthy o ffurther remark that

-
.
,

the for m o f the demons describe d by St Be rnard differs .

little from that which is no less c arefully portrayed by Begi

h ald S cot 3 5 0 years later and perhaps by the demonologists
,

o f the
p resent day I n o ur childhoo
. d says he o ur , ,

mothers maids have s o terrified us with an ouglie devil havi n g

’

ho m es o n his head fire in his mouth and a ta ile in his breech

, , ,

e yes like a basin fangs like a d o g c la we s like a beare a S kin

, , ,

l ike a niger and a voice roar ing like a lion

,
— whereby we start ,

‘
an d are afraid when we hear o n e cry D o ug h
( Bogie O ld ,
it

H ibbert s ’
h
P iloso phy ofA pp itio ar n s, p . 1 22 , s eq .
 THE O R IG IN OF MA N A ND THAT or S A TA N THE S AM E . 51

BOOK II .

PER IOD OF C OM P OS I TI O N .

CHAPT ER I .

M Y O IG I R N AN D P R O GRE S S .

S EC T ON I I .

MY E MB RY ON I C CO N D ITI ON .

b o rn in a sweltering vale o f Upper Egypt The .

date I cannot gi v e as my chronology goes so much farther

,

back than that o f Archbishop U sher that I have no mile ,

s tones t o take for my measures N o r can I determine whether

.

my parents b elonged to the present geological period o r to ,

o n e o f an earlier date If now they appear only in a fossil

.

state they had at t h e ti me I came into existence much the

, , ,

same qualities as charact e rize human beings at the pres ent

day O nly that those qualities w ere o fa rougher and sterner
.

kind than those that belong to these civilized ages Indeed .

,

evolution and progress have marked as man s so my steps o ut ’

o fthat d arkness into this light The first link o fthat a d v an c

.

In
g ser i es I vent u re n o t to defi n e It may have been as . the ,
” ”
Scripture says the gro un d o r the dust o f the earth
,

( Gen ii . 1 9
. iii 1
, 7 )5 it
. m a
y have been some anthropomorphic
organism which grew into an ape before it b ecam e a m an The
,
.

second source is the m ore elevated and as su c h presupposes ,

the D ivine hand m ore m arke dl y But as the lo w er can never .

produ c e the higher 5 S ince no being c an give what he does

not possess 5 so only from the O ne Perfect and Infi nite Will
E 2
52 SAT AN BORN or A C ONFL A GR ATION .

c an the human race hav esprung whether in its infancy o r in ,

its m anhood Hence as the chil d o fhuman nature my origin is

.
,

divine E qually cer tain is it that the moral disciplin e which

.

I represent has an aim and a t endency n o less e fl e c t ual t han

’

benevolent .

It was autum n Th e wea ther had been intensely s ul try

. .

The river had inundated the neighb ouring plains The .

thi nly scattere d hu m an p opulation w ere driven into a neigh

bo urin g forest —
A thunder storm broke forth driving hus ,
.

bands wives and chil dren into the heart o f the woo ds
, .

Then o f a sudden a flash o f lightning set the trees o n fire

, , .

They blaz ed up o n all sid es and wer e s o o n nothi ng but a ,

’

mass o fbur ning ashes .

O nly o n e man escaped It was the chief of the small tribe

.
.

’
He had paid a visit t o a neighb our s hunting ground and -

now he sl o wly m ade his way back to his covert in a grove ,

o r outpost of the perishing forest Warne d by the intense . .

heat and dazzling glo w h e stoppe d o n his approach at a

,

S hort distance and watched the rushing flames s t up efi e d

, ,

with terror ala r m and grief Where was his young wife ?
,
.

where his t w o lovely children ? where his little all ? and

where would the c o n fl ag ra ti o n stop
He knelt do w n instinctively In awe and dr ea d be fOI e this
fell destroyer He knelt down hi s hear t was big with a
—
.

cho king emotion 5 he kn elt down 5 it was all he co ul d d o 5 but

the a ct was a S ilent s upplica tion .

I n th at supplicating a c t I receive d life I was the thun .

derer the d ark and all but impersonal c a use o fthat wide S pread
,
-

ruin and woe I repeat all but im pe rs onal cause fo r th at

.
, ,

b arbarian was hardl y self conscious As yet he was a con -

.

s t it u e n t part o f t he oute r u niverse He we nt up and down .

the land a n d the water ; he passed the tre es o r sa t beneath

their S hado w 5 he played with the fawn and revelled among
the fis h 5 he looked at the stars and g a zed o n sun an d moon , ,

al m ost a s if he and they were each and all members o f the

s ame s tran g e wo rld in a n d around him Indeed the chief .
,
 S ATA N KNEEL S TO GOD . 53

was i n birth rather t h an in bei n g E m bryonic h i m self he .

,

could at best produce only e m bryons Already had the .

p rolific earth an d the maj estic skies qui c kened his mind with
a faint n otion o f a Go o d Power who b eing go od could not , ,

be the author o fthis terrific destructi o n Whence then was .

it It Came from som e Evil Spirit These were but s h adows .

( o n e somewhat light the other very dark

, ) in that infantile
mind Shadows s o thin and evanescent were they that to p u t
.
,

them as I am doing into words is to give them form and

, , ,

hue far t o o real and definite .

And yet so m ething had brought him to his knees It was .

fo r the first ti m e N 0 ! he had n o t k n e el e d to the Good

‘

Spirit O nly ca n the terror o f the tempest m ove that hard

.

and unimpressible heart .

N evertheless it was c haos blind c o nfused in so m e sen s e

, , , ,

e mpty chaos in the boso m o f that wild man o f the woods

,
.

What may co m e of that inner w hi rl w h o can tell ? It may ,

S ink into stolid stupidity It may emerge into self conscious

.
-

ness producing somewhat clear recogniti o ns At present all

, .

is embryonic .

S EC T ON I II .

MY B I R TH .

Wh en the flames ceased for want o f fuel , o ur chief was

still sitting alone o n the sum mit o fa ri d ge o f hills which ran
parallel with the stream There he sat day and night for I
.

know not how long darkly m using o n the disastrous event

,
.

At the end of that ti m e he felt as if he had received a blo w

in his inner nature Exhausted with fatigue worn o ut by
.
,
“
intensity o f sentiment unfed unrefreshed by water o r S leep
, , ,

he fell under the stroke and lay p rostrate o n t h e soil a

,
— ,

victi m to a raging fever .

D ays passed an d nights passed 5 the sun and m oon rose

and set 5 fair w eather returned 5 the air was alive with the
flight and the buzz o finse c t s 5 and t h e roar o fthe lion e c hoed
54 S ATA N B R OU G H T To C ON S C IOU S NE S S .

fr o m a di stance : but nothing awoke hi m fr om his stupor

o fmin d

O ne mornin g at early dawn he Opened hi s eyes 5 he Opened

t hem o nl y to let the lashes l angui dl y fall Hours fled away .
,

and he op ened them again The awakening p ower was his .

wife who bent over him and with her warm breath her
, , ,

soothing hand her kin dling words brought back hi s departing

, ,

spirit and he l o oked as if he saw some o n e 5 he looked again

, ,

and smiled .

His self consciousness came and came in a less vague and

-

im personal form He knew hi s w ife and knowin g her he

.
, , ,

kne w himself .

The knowledge in time gave distinctness t o his mental con

c e t io n s o f outer things and by and by he kn ew the Goo d
p ,

Spirit and no less the Bad Spirit But for the antithesis he
, .

co uld not have known either and he kne w both the better ,

from their contrasted character and reciprocated influence .

In that knowledge I was truly born I was the dark and .

evil S hado w o fthat sunny reality I was the opposite o fthat .

bright and pleasing dream My darkness made the retention .

o f that serene li ght possible But for me the chief m ust ,

.

h ave attributed the devastating storm and the consuming

c o n fl a r a t i o n to the Goo d Spirit The act would with this
g .
,

infant o f barbarism have ex t In gui sh e d the sole glim m er o f

,

hop e and trust he had O ut o fthat gli mmer thus preserved

.
, ,

spra n g religion And thus in those primordial days I was

.

not an unessential ele m ent in the first a c ts o f worship by

w hich man s spirit lifted itself up toward the descending spirit
’

o fGo d .

I have revealed the secret o f my birth I am a child o f .

the hurricane and the deluge and devastation and fever and
suffering and wo e The womb that b ore me is the hum an
.

mind in its half chaotic state as occasioned by external ,

cal amity and internal meditation Hum an in my birth I am .

,

human in my character As the sunderance be t w een evil and

.

good darkness and light in m an is never exact and complete

'

, , ,
56 S ATA N S D IRE C T A ND IND IRE C T EDU CATION
’
.
’

The Shamans fanned my pride and I filled their purse both o f , ,

us m eanwhile losing the little manhoo d w e had and gai n i ng ,

mo re and more o f the mean the sordid the astute the self , , ,

seeking And when ordinary means failed t o re ward o u r

.

com m on efforts we took t o force cruelty and fraud E re very

, , .

long they became consummate hypocrites and I became purely ,

diab olical In this state o f thorough depravity we acted o n e

.

o n the other f o r untold c enturies until life was n o longer ,

sustainable o n evil an d we to ok a turn fo r the better Ho w

,
.

far my educators improved I venture n o t to say but certainly ,

I have not w holly failed t o keep step with the general marc h
o f hu m anity on toward higher forms o f life Such at least .
, ,

has been the effect o f the b etter principles and im pulses o f

my nature that I n o w desire t o S ink m y fi er c er and darker
,

qualities and to rid the world o f the pestiferous d elusion

,

that I a m an individual and everlasting embo di ment o f S i n

and malignity It is therefore with co m placency that I see
.

bodies o f men wh o in former days withstood popular educa

tion busily engaged in its promo t ion L et them take enco n
,
.

r a e m e n t from m exa m ple When Sa t an turns schoolmaster

g y .
,

the day o f general culture is b eginning to dawn In this .

honourable ch aracter I shall b e recognized at least by yo u my ,

attentive and d iligent pupil .

The education through which I have gone has been indirect

as w ell as direct O f the latter I have given a brief d es crip
.

tio n. The former has Operated o n me onl y through others .

The encour age m ent o f the idea o f a personal devil tends t o

produce and perp etuate one The features ascribed t o me by
.

sacerdotal authorities b eco m e living an d concrete realities in

vulgar m inds This creative operation proceeds even at presen t
.

o n a very large S c ale especially under R omanist influences

, ,

and ever as m y g hostly educators and their pupils stand lo w

i n the scale o f civilization does m y character ass ume more
,

repulsi v e traits and a m ore murky hue In the year 1 8 6 1 .

,

at Morzine at the south o fthe L ake o fGeneva there might

, ,

be s een in full fury an epidemic of diabolical p ossessio n

 R O MANIS M POS TERS A ND A G G R A ND IZ ES s ATAN . 57

worthy of a R ed Indian settle men t or a N egro kingdom o f

-

—
West Africa an outburst w hich the exorcis ms of a s up e rs t i
tious priest had so aggravated that there were a hundred and ,

ten raving dem oniacs in that single village The follo wing is .

fro m a letter writ t en in 1 8 6 2 by Mgr Anouil h a F ren c h m is .

,

s i o n a ry bishop i n China Would you b elieve it Te n .

villages have been converted The dev il is furious and deals .

around heavy blo w s D uring m y fortnight s preaching there

.
’

ha v e been five or S ix de m oniacs Our c atechu m ens w ith holy .

water drive away the devils a n d heal the sick I have see n .

marvellous things The devil renders me great services in m y

.

efforts to convert the pagans As in t h e days of o u r L ord .

,

though the father of lies h e cannot help telli n g the truth , .

Cast your eye o n t hat p o c r de m o n i ac wrung wi t h agony an d ,

shouting Why do you preac h the tr ue religion

,
I cannot
‘ '
endure your taking from m e m y disciples IV ha t is your .
’

nam e ? asks the catechist Aft er several refusals he says

’
.

I am L uc ifer s envoy ’
How many o f you are there ?
.
’

‘
T w enty two
-
Holy water and the S ign o f t h e cross deli
.
’

”
vered that wretched creature .

Whence thi s caricature o f me and the fr en z y o f those p oor

—
ignorant m ani acs whence t hi s dishonour to religion but ,

from the gross fanaticis m o f this episcop al preacher o f wh at

ought to be the S i mple sublime and practical verities of the
,

Ser mon o n the Mount ? In truth I am made what I am by ,

ig n oran c e passion dupery and superstition Such was my

, ,
.

education Such in part is the i n fluence to which I am alas

.
, , ,

s t ill subj ect .

P r i mi iv e t C ultur e ,
by E d . B . y
Ta l or , V ol . II p . .
 S A
TA N A PR OD U C T OF E V ER Y L A ND .

C HA P TER II .

MY H IS TOR I CA L G ENE SIS .

IF the learned author o fParadise L os t may b e believed I ,

p ossess the utmost facil ity o fpassing through space and time .

This ideal power may b e o fuse to me now when I proceed to ,

describ e my historical genesis Come with me then gentle .

,

co m p anion and stand by m y S ide there o n the Hindu Kush

, ,

at the western extremity o fthe Himalayan mountains Here .

,

as from a probable cradle o fthe human race w e can cast o u r ,

eyes to the E ast the West the South and the N orth and
, , ,

trace the main lines that the four great streams o f civiliza
tion have pursued in the p assage o f human bei ngs over the
surface o fAsia and E urope I c onfine m yself to this he m i.

h e r e b ecause the western half of the globe is still but i m

p ,

p erfectly explored in regard to the sources o f its p opulations .

The defect is a matter o fsmall consequence because enough ,

is kno w n o f its aborigines to assure us that they belonged t o

the g en us ho mo N o w m an is essentially every where the same
. .

More o r less of civilization does not alter the fundam ental

qualities o f his being O f these no o n e is more completely
.
,

universal than worship Wherever he is under whatever .

,

skies o n whatever soil o n sea as we ll as land man is a w o r

, , ,

s hip e r . This which is true locally is alike true in regard to

, ,

successive ages The half savage inhabitant o f E gyptian

.

Thebes bent before his gods o f stone The philosopher w h o .

spec ul ates o n t h e banks o f the Tha m es b ows his heart in

“

homage to t h e Creator o f the univers e E ven those wh o .

d eny Go d wit h their lips o wn him in the voiceless movemen t s

o ftheir souls .

C o extensive with the recognition o fGo d is the rec ognition

-

o f me .T hi s position is so true that as yet the exc eptions ,

present themselves solely in the most cultivated individual s

o fthe most c ultivated nations H istory then in bearing its .
, ,
 S A TA N FOLLO W S THE L INE OF C IV IL IZ A TION .
p

O9

testimony to God has a testimony to bear to Satan The

,
.

dualis m w hich L ogic and Experience furnish History attests ,

.

But h o w within my contracted li mits —how can I exhibit

the fact so as to gain credence for it ? An easy and a ready
way presents itself It is one o f the great and most be n efi
.

cen t results o fmodern science to shew that at least in regard ,

to t hi s he m isphere all civilization has co m e from the E ast

,
.

A question m ay b e raised as t o the anteriority o f India o r

E gypt 5 but all auth orities agree that the great stream o fcul
ture flo w s not fro m the West to the E ast but fro m the E ast ,

to the West It is i ndeed true that its d irection is n o w

.

altered At present E urop e repays t o As ia the debt it spent

.
‘
,

ages in contra cting But then the paym ent is nothing e l se

.

than interest on th e capital it began to b orrow in al m ost the

earliest days o fcivilization ”
.

Thi s great stream o fculture had another aspect It was .

identical w ith the stream o f p opulation Greek Teuton .

, ,

Engli sh K elt Ro m an F rench Irish and Hig hl and S c ot

, , , ,

all are descendants of the natives of the Indus and the Gang

What is tru e o fraces is true o f languages It is also true o f .

obj ects o fworship The divinities that are at this moment

.

worshiped in Calcutta find their an alogues in the re m otest

,

antiquity in the sa m e E astern land a n d in e v ery part o f

ci vilized E urop e at present N 0 less is i t true that over this .

extent o fspace an d ti m e I am found every where .

It is equally certain that while al ways and in all places ,

the same I vary as each successive age varies in regard to

,

general culture F ier c es t in the lo w est tribes I by degrees

.
,

beco m e mild as m ental elevation and m oral r efinement m ore

o r less prevail If the frightful task ass i gned to m e by Chris
.

tian divines seem s to contradict the assertion the c o n t ra d ic ,

~

tion is itself contradicted by the general tenden c y of the

present day in whi ch the spread o f an eth i c al C h ristianity
,

—
the true religion of Christ is gradually e ffa c ing m y i m age
fro m the m ore cultivated human m in d s as water continually ,

dropping wears away the hardest rock .

60 S ATA N U N IV E R S A L .

Together w ith t h e falsit y o f a pers onal devil the b ul k of

'
,

the huge mass o f other superstitions which once flooded the

Church and still defile and deform t h e greater p ortion o f it
, ,

went down o ut of E astern lands more o r less remote in time

“
and place t o settle in the West until the times o f Befor
,
”
mation .

N o wonder then that un der some name or another I am

, , , ,

found fro m where we stand in every known spot o n all sides

around u s O n other grounds than those I have taken up
.
,

the statement might b e extended t o the entire surface o f the

earth.

If I exist wherever man exists what am I but man s shadow ?

i
,

D eclare that I am a person and add in ob edience to the , ,

orthodoxy o f o ur subj ect that at the same moment I tempt ,

men in e v ery spot o n the habitable globe and then w hat else ,

do you but make me a c o partner with the Al mighty in his -

do m inion over the earth ? And if God has such a rival how ,
‘
is he the Al m ighty ? His s way is S hared by me who lust fo r ,

evil as much as he desires goo d Yet did n o t those di v ine .

“
lips declare that a kingdom divided against itself cannot
,
”
stand ? ( Matt xii Wh at then do I but imperil the
. .
, ,

throne o f the Creator o f the universe ? To co n clusions s o

false and painful does belief in my proper personality inevi
tably lead .

O n o n e of the minor streams which c omb ine t o make up

the great river of culture o f whi ch I have spoken I now , ,

Theophilus desire to fix your eye The country w hich

,
.
,

stretc hi ng o ut i m medi ately before us extends fro m the Black ,

S ea o n the right hand the Caspian o n the left and the , ,

Persian Gulf o n the south w est shews yo u the district where -

in ancient days I flourished m ore than any where else In gene .

ral t erms it m ay b e call ed Persia There I received what may .

b e called my university training The head master o f the .

school bore the na m e o f Z oroaster o r Z erd u sh t As Greeks .

bore the classic cul tur e from C onstantinople to Paris and

O xford so did Z oroaster transmit a modified Brah m anis m t o
,
 S ATA N SP E C IA LL Y A P RODU C T or Z OROAS TE RIS M . 61

the principal cities o fIran ia In both cases I for m ed part of .

the learned bur den Indeed the b ur den d ifl er e d mainl y in

.
,

form o nl y that the classic cultur e in its original purity had

,

in it from the nature o f the soil where it gr ew up but a

, ,

small infusion o fde m onology whereas that element super ,

'
abounded in Z o r oas t e ris m f The age of Z oroaster after being “
,

much debated re m ains fluctuating between 6 0 0 0 and 6 0 0

,

years before the b irth o f C hr is t The la tter appears t o be .

nearer the truth th an the former His doctrines fir st beca m e .

kn o wn in E urope by a translation into F rench o f the Z end

Av e s t a fr When in the sixth century b efore Christ Babylo n
, ,

was conquered by Cyr us the higher o rders o f the countr y ,

—
held the doctri nes of Z oroaster ( the Go ld s t a r ) The cap .

tive Je ws w ere taken by it s m onotheistic principles and w hat

to them were spiritual tendencies Accor di ngly they appro .

ri at e d much o f its sub stance The appropriation was m ade

p .

ll —
fu er durin g the two centur ies ( 5 3 6 3 3 2 A C ) in which the . .

Persian empire bore sway in P al estine The following is an .

outline o fZ o r o as t eris m i
The Supre m e Being Z er v an é Ak eren é o r unbounded ti m e , , ,

“ ”
an abyss in whi c h all o ur thoughts ar e dro wned is the ,

source o f all that exists Thence came the prim itive light .
,

that is the prim itive fire and primitive water ; and from their
mixture by Ho n ov er the creative Word sprang first Ahura , ,

M az da commonly kno wn as O rmuz d the good God the spirit

, , ,

o flight the root o fall tha t is good in the world the source of
, ,

all perfections the resplendent image of the infin i te all whose

, ,

attributes he possesses In m o dern phrase Z er v an é Aker e n é .

,

is God unrevealed and Ah ura Mazda Go d reve al ed and then

,

En z hreh é M e en i e os h o r Ahriman who good in his orig in at , , , ,

Kle uk er Z en d av e st a 5 H e er en Id e en ; R h o d e Die H eili g e S ag e d er

a lt en P er s er .

Z en d av est a Ouv r a g e d e Z or oast r e , co n t en an t l es Id e es T éo h l giqu o es

P hy iq s u es , et M or al es de cc L eg i slat eur , St e . Tr a d it p
u ar M An q u et il d a
.

P err on . P ar is , 1 7 7 1 .

II
“

. T h l gi
eo o e B ibl iq ue , p ar E ug en e H aag ,
p . 3 87 . P ar is , 1 8 7 0 .
62 S A TA N A ND AH R IMA N THE S AM E .

the end o f 3 0 0 0 years became bad through his j ealousy o f

—
O rm uzd s o that his luminous essence grew obscure and
,

changed into darkness Thus he became the Malignant Spirit .

,

“ ”
the prince o f darkness the sourc e o f all evil o f imp u re ,

—
thoughts o fviolent passions o fsin and o fdeath in a word
, , , ,

myself as p op ul arly understood His symb ol is the serpent as

, .
,

that o fO rmu z d is sacred fir e and the sun Then opened the .

second period that t o o o f 3 0 0 0 years during which O rmuzd

, ,

reigned alone pursuing his work o f creation unopp osed and

, ,

reproducing in a visible form the world o f ideas ( Ferv e rs ) ,

the prototypes o fall creatures the principles o flife and move ,

ment in heaven and earth the pure and immediate imprints ,

o fthe creative thought o f the Word Ho n o v e r O rmuzd first,

.

created the world o fspirits the highest position in which is ,

held by Em e sh a S e p e an t a o r the Am sh asp an d s hypostases , ,

o f the divine attributes in number S ix presided over by , ,

O rmuzd himself thus m aking seven o n e o f the sacre d num

, ,

b ers o f the Bible reproduc ed in o ur seven days and the

,

Hebrew sev en ( s a bbath) day worship Their substance is the .

light They are accounted the genii o r guardian angels o fthe

.

se v en planets as known to the ancients After the Am sh as .

p ands O rmuzd created the Iz e d s in number twenty eight

, ,
-

( fou r sevens o r a lunation observe my dear pupil the traces , ,

—
o fthe prim aeval star worship ) These Iz ed s ( a word denoting .

a divinity ) are secondary gods wh o ( like the B i t min o r es o f ,

—
L atium) preside over the elements mountains rivers plants , , ,

&c . and guard inan i mate n ature from the attacks o f the
,

D ews o r fallen angels like the Titans o fGree k mythology

, ,
.

Among these Mith ra (the sun god) holds the first position
,
-
.

AS opp onents to these go od genii Ahriman created the D ews

'

ea s ; L atin for Go d whence deity divine and p erhap s the

( D l

, , ,

E nglish d evil ) whose business it is t o ru in O rmuzd s creation

,
’

and to extend the kingdom o f darkness Spe c ial fury was .

manifested by the j ealous Ahrim an when O rmuzd created the

world o fbodies N o t satisfied with throwing O rmuzd s work
.
’

into confu sion ( as learned theologians say I did in regard to

64 S ATA N S B L O OD B LUE R TH AN A N Y
’
.

prophets The righteous are received into Go r o t man ( Heaven )

.
,

where O rmuz d sits o n his throne The s am e favour is be .

stowed o n Ahriman and the wicked after they have b een ,

purifi ed by fir e during thre e d ays and three ni ghts Then .

the ear t h will b e the abo de o f u n qualified bliss All nature .

w ill b e light O rmuzd s laws w ill b e universally ob eyed and

.
’

hu m an b eings will with S o si o ch live a p u re and ho ly life free ,

from care and p ain wholly given up to t h e everlastin g wors hip

,

o fZ er v an é Ak e r en é the Supreme Being whence all existence

, ,

came .

What other things m ay exist in this sketch I w ait not t o

declare but b eyond a doubt I am there and there I am in
, ,

the very c ondit ion in which I have b een placed by the Chris
tian Church from its origin to the present day 5 but to this
point I S hall shor t ly recur O nly before I pass o n I b eg you
.
, ,

to note the ancientness o f my p edi gree “

N orman blood .
”

is but as yesterday compared w ith mine The outli ne I have .

given is necessar ily c oncise but did I not feel symptoms of ,

Old age creeping over m e I might be te m pted t o atte m pt a ,

universal history in pictures the products not o f fancy o r ,

p artiz anship but of my own human experienc e with eye ear

, , , ,

touch taste and in w ard no less than outward sense But

, ,
.

then I sho ul d have to call science t o m y aid and describ e the ,

choirs innumerable Of all grades o f intelligence that people

the starry fi rm am en t In regard t o them I m ake in addition
.

but one remark namely that in neither the lower n o r in th e

, ,

higher spheres is anythi ng foun d so horrible as is the Satan

o f p opular churches The conditions o f su c h a monstrosit y
.

are c o n fi ned to the dark an d t u rbid perio d o f the last six

’
thousand years o fthe earth s all but inconceivable duration .
 OR IG IN J UD A IS M P O P UL A R CH R IS T IA N ITY 60
1

OF AN D .

BOOK III .

I
P E R OD OF C OM P OS I TI O N : MY C ON N E C TI O N W I TH THE

I
B BL E .

C HAPTER I .

THE OL D E AM EN T
T ST : THE S H E M ITIC OR
“

H E B RE W ELE M EN T .

S EC T ON I I .

T HE ST RI CT M ON OTH EI S M OF T HE R E L I GI ON OF M OS E S .

Two great rivers receivin g tributaries from very large and

,

v ery diverse districts o fthe ear t h the She m itic and the Aryan ,
,

di s c harge their mingled waters o n the land o fCanaan so as to ,

produce its Oldest and its latest religion i n their popular form s ,

the religion of Israel and the religion of the Christian Church .

”
I repeat the phras e in their p op ular forms b ecause I wish
“
, ,

from the first to draw attention to the important di stinction

that e x ists and must b e recognized b et w een at the o n e ex ,

t r e mi t y the religion o fMoses and the religion o fthe children

,

o fIsrael and at the other the religion o f Jesus and the r e

, , ,

ligio n o f the Christian Chu rch And t hi s early notification .

is the m ore necessary because it will assist me to shew you

,

that the religion o fMoses and the religion o fJesus are exe mpt
fro m the re c ognition of a personal devil Such an absence .

nee d n o t s u rprise you if you have attentively though t over

w hat pre c edes These two r eligions stand at the summ it
.

o f all r eligions in being purely spiritua l profoundly prae ,

‘

tical and essentially be n efi c en t AS su ch they i mply in their

, .
,

authors the highest the widest and the most living culture
, .
66 OR IG I N or M OS A IC M ON OTH E IS M .

N o w it is a less o n taught by many parts what g Oes before of ,

that while t h e c o n cep tio n o fa devil ensues from the dark side
’

o fthe human mind as acted o n by the dark side o fnature so , ,

that conception S inks and disappears i n the degree in which

civilization becomes more real more lofty and m ore benignant ; ,

s uggesting an d encouraging the b elief that i n the most a d

v an c e d civilization I shall have ceased to exist That civiliza .

tion is represented by Moses in its initial stadium and in its ,

final issue by Jesus When humanity has become all that it .

is capable o fbeing and all that Go d m eans it to be it w ill ,

have utterly parted c ompany with myself and to it as well as , ,

”
in fact Go d will be all in all ( 1 Cor x v
,
That final . .

issue will be hailed by none more gladly than by me if only ,

becaus e when the shadows hav e passed aw ay I as represent

, , ,

ing the race o fman shall have dropped all that is bad and dark
, ,

while holding fast t o and consumm atin g all that is good in

hu m an nature and i n God s fatherly purposes respect i n g it ’
.

The religion o fMoses w as not born in a day Ages o fcom .

arat iv e culture had passe d before any one could under D ivine
p ,

Providence appear able to o wn in his soul and proclaim with

, ,

h is lips Jehovah that is the L iving O ne and as such the

, , , ,

L ife giver
-
The Israelites l ike their kinsmen o fCanaan w o r
.
, ,

s h i e d in their earliest times a number o f divinities such as

p ,

Baal Molo ch & c Abraham had indeed uttered the g reat

, , .

thought which was also t o him a great discovery o r if yo u

, , ,

will a great revelation that Go d wa s o n e and that the o n e

, , ,

Go d had pro duced and still sustained and go verned the uni , ,

v e rse But this goo d seed fell into bad ground and either
.
,

perished o r ca me u p beset with tares Certainly in the in .

,

t e rv al bet w een Abraham and Moses the sons o f Jacob wo r ,

s hip e d li ke other She m itic tribes their o wn pec uli ar divinity

, , ,

the Go d o ftheir ra ce their patron God the Go d n o t so muc h , ,

o f the universe as o f their fathers That Go d was t o them .

God of gods an d L ord o flords that is the most powerful

“
, ,

o f surrounding divinities acknowledged by kindred tribes .

( E xod xviii. 1 1 xv 1 1 5 N u.mb xiv 1 5 5

, J u d g xi .At . . . .
 THE N A TION INFE C TED W ITH ID OL ATR Y . 67

first it may be inferred from corruptions w hi c h cropping out

, , ,

,
—
later exis ted fro m very early ages at first I say he was the , ,

God o fthe hills as c ontradistinguished fro m the gods of

,
”

the plains ( 1 Kings xx but in time he became th e .

God o f heaven who made him self known in thunder and

,

lightning who appeared in a pillar o ffire yea w ho was him

, , ,

“
self the devouring fire ( E xod iii 2 xix 1 6 — 1 8 xxiv 1 7 5 .
”
. .
,
.
,
.

N u mb x v i 3 5 5 L e v x
. He is a Go d of p ower 5 he is th e
. . .

Po w er ( AZ) the Almighty ( AZ ,

Indeed there are ,

traces i n th e Teraphim Cherubim and Seraphi m that the , ,

Hebrew forefathers worshiped several d ivinities who m they ,

after wards allowe d to sink into m er e for m s and sy m bols

“

They are even reproached with w orshiping false gods the ,

idols o f Egypt in the Wilderness ( Ez ekfi xx 8 M I 2 4 5

,
”
. .
,
.

A m os v Throughout the lo n g series of events which

.

passed from the days o f Joshua to the return fro m the cap
t i v ity the nation both when united and when separate was
, , ,

d eeply and all but incurably infecte d with idolatry The fact .

a dm its o f no explanation except o n the assumption that the ,

false worships which had been fostered if n o t revived o r even ,

created in E gyp t re m ained embedded in the heart o f the

, ,

people notwiths t anding the monotheistic te achings of Moses

, .

About the tenth century before Christ a strong protest be gan ,

to be uttered again st all religious falsities and specially against ,

false go ds as the t o o prolific source o f the rest That t es t i

,
.
c

—
mony was borne by the prophe ts the w1 s es t most religious , ,

most self forgetful and mos t heroic race o f religious teachers

-

that ever existed Their appearance as well as the tone of.

,

their in structions pre supposes great religious corruption in

,
-

the heart and in the worship o f the Hebrews An d then .

probably it was during the classic period o fHebre w literature

, ,

that the firs t account o f creation ( Gen i —ii 3 ) w as if not . . .

,

originally produ c ed yet wrought into the perfe c t form in whi ch ,

.

it now exists In the use w hi c h is here (verse 1 ) m ade of the

.

ter m God ( E lo hi m plural o fAl pre v iously m entioned ) there

, , ,

is a disclosure o fhigh i mportan c e in the history of the religion

F 2
 68 A ST ERL IN G M O NO TH E IS M E S TAB L IS H ED IN IS RAEL

of Israel A gr eat conflict had been proceeding for m any

.

c enturies b et w een the o l d polytheistic ele m ent o fthe m aj ority

and the n e w m onotheistic element of the minority Th e pre .

p onderance w as at the first a n d for a very long ti m e so great , ,

as al m ost to crush the grand idea entertained an d asserted by

t h e elect f ew But with the progress o f ti m e and culture a
.
, ,

state o f mind arose which either as an original thought o r a ,

revival of the thought o fAbraham and Moses har m onized the ,

Old religions w ith the n e w necessity i m pli c itly d eclaring ,

t h at God the Go d of the Hebre w s w as a conc entration o fall

,

divine energ i es That tacit procla m ation at whatever ti m e

.
,

m ade w as the real birth of the m onotheism of Israel as pro

, ,

fessed and m aintained by the prophets and as long after ,

taught by th e greatest o f the prophets Jesus o f Nazareth , .

The necessity to which I have referred w a s a cl aim o n con

s cienc e to o w n the one Go d and none but he Su c h a clai m .
,

if rudely advanced if put for w ard in bold contra st with the,

pra c ti c al polytheism o fthe day w ould alienate an d repel those ,

w ho m m ost it w as desire d to c on c iliate and gain Without .

any set pretence and i n an unobtrusive yet effectual manner

, ,

the assertion of God s unity w as e f fe c te d by si m p l y usi n g the

’

Old plural form E lo h im ( god s ) with a verb in the singular ,

n umb er
( e g creates and .n o t create
.
) Thus by w h at
,
m a
y b e .
,

c alled a failure in
g ra mm ar the great v erity w a s set forth s o
,

as to b e accep t ed doubtless partially at first but after w ards by

, ,

all the nation That failure in gra mm ar w ill be b etter under

.

stoo d by the unlearn e d reader if I give a literal translation of

the original changing the tense fro m the past to the present for
,

the sake of clearness Thus literally the first w ords o fGene s is .

, ,

“ ”
declare In the begin n ing Go d s c r ea tes the heaven
,
&c , .

The de v ice is simple By using with the singular verb the .

O l d and accepted term E lo hi m ( in t h e pl u ral and equal to ,

Go d s o r rather p o wer s ) and thus con c iliat ing the polytheists

’
, , ,

the writer declares that the po w ers in concentration created

the universe and so satisfies the monotheists This was a
,
.

t urning point in t he religio u s his t o ry a n d exp erie n c e Of Israel

-
.
‘
 Is C O MP LE TED IN THE WOR S H IP or J E H O VAH , 69

F rom that polytheis m rapidly de clined and m onotheis m

. d ay
rapidly advan c ed .

Yet this monotheism was not absolute A union o fpowers .

d enotes a change and where change is God in the true sense

, , ,

Of the ter m is n o t The idea was supplemented and c o m

,
.

l e t e d by the revelation made t o Moses and doubtless t au ght

p ,

by him however it migh t afterwards drop o ut of the publi c

,

mind as too abstract for its espousal The su pple m ent w as .

,

that the God w ho created the world was the B ein g the Self ,

existent O ne the Life the E ssential L ife t h e E t ernal L ife

, , , .

The Hebre w te rm is Jeh o va h (or ra t her J ah v e ) Hen c eforth .

the Go d o f Israel is the living God t he only living and tr ue ,

God and hen c e the O ne Life giver

,
-
.

To a ffi rm such a God is to deny all other gods That o n e .

Supre m e universal E xistenc e excludes all beings o fa n infe rior

,

order Hence polytheism and idola t ry are S i mply lies and

.

vanities They have no reality Like the idea o fSatan they

. .
,

ar e mere fi m e n t s of the hu m an brain But if Jehovah is

g .

God Jehovah alone then no other being w hatever can b e

, ,

—
Go d God in any sense can p ossess or exercise any divine
,

quality or function Jehovah stands absolutely in and by h im .

self ; wi t hou t equal w ithou t a second without a rival His , , .

throne is unsha red his govern m ent is as boundless as his ,

po wer In s u ch a syste m t h ere is no place for a devil The

. .

g reat verity was deeply felt and p ra c ti c ally ackno wle d ged by
‘
the prophets V Vit h w ha t e mphasis does the second Isaiah
.

express the sole m n truth

I m J h h d th i
a e l 5 th i
ov a ,
an er e s n on e e s e er e s no Go d besi d e me .

I gi d d th th ugh t h did t t k w m 5
r e ee , o ou s no no e

Th t th y m y k w f m E t t W t th t t h
a e a no ro as o es a er e is n on e b ides e me 5
I m J h h d th i l a e ov a ,
an er e s n on e e s e .
”

This general exc lusion of all other divinities is made more

e m phatic by parti c ula rs
I fo m t h e l ight a d c eate d k e s r n r ar n s ,

I m ak e p eac e an d cr e at e e v i l .
”

These words were uttered by the prophet with immediate

70 E XC LUD IN G A LL DU A L IS TIC FA L S ITIE S .

reference to the dualism o f the P ersians They as good as .

d eclare that Ahrim an is a fiction N o 5 he does n o t create .

—
darkness n o t he but I ”
,
And with a daringn ess o n behalf
.

o f truth whi ch in its assertion runs the greatest risk o f being

misunderstood the prophet adds

,

I c eate ev il 5
r

I J eh ov ah d o all th es e thi g s ( Is xi 5 n . . v .

S ome t wo c enturies before the prophet A m os ( iii 6 ) had,

.

p roclai m ed the sa m e exclusive absolutism : Shall there be

evil in a city and Jehovah hath not done it ?
,

To prevent m istake I add that the evil ascribed t o God is

,

not real evil but evil as seen o fm an ; what man c all s evi l
, .

Such evil is often Go d s highest good Correc tion is evil in

’
.

the sight Of the corrected e vi l d e er but in the sight o fGo d -

and good men it is not only wisdo m but love , .

Yo u thus see that the religion o fMoses and the prophets

was a strict and exclusive m onotheis m God is represented .

as being even j ealous of t h e divine glory which belonged to

him as the one sole Go d of heaven and ear t h the author o f
, ,

real good and the author o fwhat m en called ev il ( E xod xx 5 5 . .

D e n t iv 1 4 s e q )
. .
,
This j ealousy which extended generally
.
,

to the false gods of polytheism mu s t have included the dark ,

S ide o f the dualism w hich you have seen everywhere C on .

sequently it excluded me This proscription took place n o t .

,

by i m plication alone but expressly and e m phatically The

,
.

w orship o f devils was forbidden even under t h e penalty o f

death IV h il e all anim al o fferings w ere to be made exclu
.

s iv e ly to Jehovah to sacrific e t o devils was treason 5 and

,

this inhibition co m es o u t the m ore strikingly because it is ,

uttered in relation to su c h practices as already existed in

“
Israel : And they s h all n o more offer their sa c rifi c es unto
devils after whom they have gone a whoring This shall be
,
.

a statute for ever un to the m throughout their generations ; ,

and every m an that offereth a burnt o ffering o r sa c rifice and -

bringeth it not u nto the tabernacle that man shall be cut o ff ,

from among his people (L e v xvii 2 seq Comp D e u t . . .

,
. . .
72 DE V IL A F IG U RE OF SP E E CH .

What h avewe h ere but the d ark an d destructive me mbe r

o ft h e universal dualis m ? The term is employed in D eut .

“
xxxn . 17 they sacrificed unto devils and Psalm cvi 3 7
,
.
,

“
they sacrificed their so n s unto devils In the former t h e .
,

w orshipers o fthe de v ils are described as provoking Go d t o

”
j ealousy with abominations provoke d they him t o anger
,
.

“
And yet these very vanities (verse 2 1 ) are n o w upheld as
realities 5 nay as personal beings by t hose wh o are the p r o
, ,
~

fe s si o n al advocates o f the Bible and its religion Surely .

,

“ ” ”
what Go d has pronounced vanities and lie s minister s ,

o f the gospel ought in no way t o espouse E qually may I

”
.

a ffirm that in thus tracing the natural history o f the d evil ,

I am working ifagainst priestism yet o n the side o fGo d

, , .

In truth there is n o t in all history any c onflic t against

,

error m ore vigorous an d unsparing than that whi c h the Bible

she ws t o have been wa ged by the prophets and others against
the reality o f t he heathen divinities the devil expressly in ,

c luded . All t h e most opprobrious words o fthe Hebre w tongue

” ”
are hurled against the s e nothings these abo m inations , .

The second term rendered devil in the Bibleis S h o irim ,

fro m a root w hi c h recal ls o ur word shaggy and which de , ,

n oti n g what is hairy w hat ab ounds i n rough hair signified a

, ,

g oat as e m phatically the hairy being The satyr is little els e .

than an uglie r goat Indeed the word satyr is used In o ur

.
,

E n glish Ve rsion as an equivalent for this Hebre w term I .

will t ranscri be t w o o r th ree o f the p a ssages ( in all forty ) in ,

w hi c h the word is u sed in the O ld Testa m en t

“
E sau my brother is a ha i ry man ( Gen xxv ii ”
. .

The priest shall lay his hand o n the head o fthe g o a t and
”
kill it ( L e v iv . .

O ffer their sa c r ifi c e unto d evils ( L ev xvii . .

”
S a tyr s S hall d an c e t here ( IS x iii 3 1 xxxiv . . .

The r o ug h g o a t is t h e king of Greece ( D an viii . .

Here w e see the sa m e term say sh aggy denoting 1 a man ;

, , , ,

2 a king ; 3 a satyr ; 4 a devil 5 5 a goat

, , , AS it is imp o s , .

si ble that any o n e Obj ect c an be a m a n a king a satyr a , , ,

 OR IG IN OF THE S ATYR F OR M OF THE DE V IL . 73

d evil, and a goat which are we to take as the true meaning

,

o fthe Hebre w ter m ? If you tak e a goat then as a go a t ,

”

is not a m an n o r a king nor a satyr nor a devil these several

, , , ,

w ords c annot signify realities — ca n not denote the beings as ,

beings whi ch the word o r sound makes m e n t ion of S o fa r

, .
,

then as these passages go they ignore t h e existence of a

, ,

personal devil Yo u reply that there is o n e q uality shared in

.
,

co mm on by the Obj ects thus n amed na m ely hairy or shaggy , , ,

and tha t this is the reaso n why the word is applied to the m all .

True 5 but then this quality of shagginess is not devilry A goa t .

shaggy 5 but he is not a te m pter nor a cheat n or a liar , ,

.

And even the application o f this quali ty to all the obj ects is
n o t possible except
y o u take i t as a metaphor
,
T o say that .

the rough goat is the king o fGreece is to s ay what is not ,

”

true u nl ess by Is yo u m ean r ep r es en ts o r sy mbo liz es An d i n

, . .

saying that yo u s h ew that w e are in the region not o fo bj e c

, ,

tive and external realities bu t o f rhetori c al figures The ,

.

farther we g o into this m atter the more distant are we fro m ,

the substantial reality and the concrete personage ecclesias ~

“ ”
tically called the devil .

This devil satyr o r goat was ho wever it seems put to

, , , , , ,

d eath and Off ered as a sin o ffering to Jehovah ( L ev xvi 8 s e q )

-
. .
, .

A more thorough proof could n o t be given o fthe hostility of

the religion o f Jehovah t o the worship o f devils The very .

Obj ect o f thei r adoration and c onsequently o f their trust and ,

hope is taken and slain before their eyes 5 nay is presented

, ,

i n ackno wle d g m ent o f sin and in h ope of pardon to Jehovah ,

t h e only living and true God This w as indeed a vi c tory .

gained by tr ue religion over re ligious falsi t y by Go d over h is ,

great antagonist The V ictory was the m ore co m plete and

.

triu mphant be c ause the devil worshiper brought the obj e c t

,
-

o fhis worship with his o wn hands and presented that Obj ect ,

as a sin offering t o Jehovah grieved and o ffended that shaggy

-

c reat ures S hould receive the ho m age whi c h was d ue t o h im

alone .
74 S A TA N N OT AM ON G G OD ’
S C R E A TU R E S .

I
S E C T ON III .

THE F I R S T A CCOUN T OF THE C R EA TI ON I G N ORE S S A TA N .

In o ur studies we have repeatedly seen how symbolism is

interwoven with religion N ot leas t frequent among t h e.

sy m bols we have met with has been the serpent O n thi s .

p oint I must ask your special attenti o n Before I enter o n .

the subj ect I premise some re m arks o n what I have termed

,

the first account o f creation whic h begins with the first ,

verse o fthe first chapter of the Bible and term inates with the ,

third verse o fthe second chapter .

This simple and sublime narrative is a purely Heb raic p r o

duction The o ld opinion which made it a strictly historical
.

account o f the for m ation o f the heavens and the earth ,

directly dic t ated by the Holy Spirit to Moses the author o f ,

the Pentateuch breaks down under insuperable d ifficulties

, ,

and is held no longer by any but such as have n o t followed

the advancing steps o fHistory and Theology during the las t
hundred years N ot more tenable is that other the ory whi c h
.

makes the account a scientific n arrative o fthe process o fcrea

tion either co m pletely o r partially acc u rate These as s ump .

tions are too purely mere assumptions to detain me by any

particular confutations E nough to state what t he account
.

rea lly is first as to substance and then as t o form In sub

,
.

stance the n arrative e m bodies the most advanced opinion o f

an early but an intensely religious age Though religious
,
.
,

the age the golden age o fHebrew literature opening wi t h the

, ,

regal govern m ent wh en Israel began to emerge o u t of a period

o fcomparative confusion and illiterateness 5
— though religious ,

the age was totally unscientific AS little did it possess the .

rigid spirit o fh istory Yet its religiousness made it earnest

.

in th e pursuit o f truth and honest in rec ording the conclu

,

sions w hich ensued In consequence this g ra nd n arrative

.
,

reports the best thought o fthe age o n the m atters spoken o f ,

and far surpasses in approaches t o reality all other ancien t cos

 THE P URE H E B RE W TH OU G H T E XC L U DE S S A TA N . 75

m o g o n ie s . It is however what w ould now be c alled a p opular

, ,

account It is such an account as the eye w ould disclose to a

.

religious sage wh o kne w no other planet but the earth and of ,

the earth knew ouly a v ery s m all cir c le N evertheless destitute .

,

though the narrative is of a philosop hi cal basis devoid though ,

it is o f a properly hi storical sense and exe mpt as it is fro m ,

either the scientific spirit o r scientific accuracy and co m pre

h e n s iv e n e s s yet S O is it i m bued with and predo m inated by the
,

spirit o ftrue religion that it tells its solemn lofty and e x h i

, ,

lir at in g tale w ith so m u c h n aturalness and likelihood as to ,

satisfy the intellect w hile kindling and inspiring the soul fill ing ,

the heart w ith the purest sy m pathies and the m ost elevated
aspirations And although it m us t be said that in V ie w of the
.
,

progress which t h e arts and sciences have S ince made espe ,

c ial ly of late it la cks in its substance the universality whi c h

,

w ould secure it general acceptance nevertheless its religious ,

elevation is such that making Go d the source o f all things

, , ,

the o n e Go d the _Creator L or d and Benefactor o f w hatever

, _
,

is it lays the foun dation for that univ ersal religion an d that
, ,

u niversal hu m an brotherhood out o fwhich modern civiliza ,

tion has issued with an e v er in cr e as m g volume of richest

,
-

w aters and an ever brightening and widening outflow o f

,
-

”
purest ray sere n e .

I desire t o e mphasiz e the fact that this n arrative knows

noth ing o f the devil Su c h b eing the c ase then I am justi
.
, ,

fi e d in d eclaring that the She m itic thought in its m ost lim pid
and elevated expression is free fro m this the fig m ent of m ental ,

obscurity and moral lo wness and diste m pered spe c ulation .

“
Yes 5 the whole creation was brought into b eing in the be
”
ginning . Before the beginning n othi n g w as but the Creator 5 ,

“ ” ”
n o t a n gels to either fall o r keep their first estate (Jude
AS there were none b efore s o there were none after if t his , ,

ac c ount deserves acceptance The whole subj e c t of angel and .

d evil is as absent from the narrative as if its author had never ,

heard of either .

I m ay b e excused if I ask special attention to this S imple

76 THE F IR S T AC C O UN T OE C RE ATI ON SI M P L E A ND SU B L IM E .

truth from thos e who hold the account to be sta mped wit h
the infal lib ility which belongs to the D ivine Mind Th e .

higher and the holier the authority of the do cu m ent the more ,

ought they to feel i t certain that the devil is not among the
creatures o fGod still less that there is however na m ed any
, , ,

sup ernatural compe t itor for his throne o r preternatural anta

n i s t to his government Surely those w h profess t make
g o o. o
“ ”
what they call the Word o f God their c reed will not b e ,

slow to admit that this portion o fit implicitly c ont ra dicts the
existence o f the devil And if so surely too they c annot
.
, , ,

put Scripture in opposition to itself by asserting that the

existence o f a personal devil is asserted in any other part o f
“ ”
what they call the Inspired Volu m e .

Turning from this w ell meaning though il l instructed class

- -

o f p ersons I ask such as ha v e prosecuted religious and his

,

t o ri cal studies under the best lights of modern knowledge ,

w hether the absence of the devil in this pu rely m onotheisti c

and genuinely Hebre w docu m ent ought not to have an over
ruling influence in regard to other parts o f the O ld Testa
ment not indeed to close our eyes to i mposing evidence but
, ,

certainly to require solid proofs o f an opposite tendency and ,

to incline the balance of m ere probability And th es e thing s

I say to illustrate the high and safe position w hich I hav e
gained and n o w securely hol d and not to prepare the way fo r
,

a severe contest and possibly a dubious issue fro m confli c tin g

, ,

considerations 5 for nothing of the sort is before me .

I have called this wonderful c o m posi tion an a cc ount a n d a

narrative It is in truth a p oe m S u c h is its form Hen c e
. . .

its intens e religio u sness and hen c e its ever living i m p r essive
,
-

ness O ne o fthe earliest o fp oe m s it is als o o n e o fthe m os t

.
,

highly prized Standing in front of what I may by anti c ipa

.
~

tion call The B ible ofHu ma n i ty it stands also at the head of ,

all religious poetry 5 and being at onc e purely and si m ply

h u m an as w ell as inten s ely d ivine it m akes its w ay into the ,

heart o fchildhood w here it n estles a m ong ho m e asso c iations

,

a n d endearments and lingers on to the last in t h e deepest

,
 THE A N TH E M OF C RE ATION . 77

pieties of the grand m other w hile man y a philosophe r s dying ,

’

bed has been lighted up and soothed by his assurance hen c e ,

d erive d that bearing the image o fthe Creator and breathing

, ,
'
his breath h e could n o t perish when his last p ulse had b eaten
,

o n earth .

That we have t o do here with p oetry rather than prose

‘
,

y o u may satisfy yourself if y o u w ill g o over the whole care

fully a n d note h o w marked is the rhy th m w hich flows throug h
it N o w rhythm Is the for m al S ign Of the e ffus mn s o f the
.

Hebrew Muse wh o i n her lofty flight disdained the petty

,

orna m ents o frhyme But that which de m onstrates the poetic .

-

chara c ter o f the c omposition is its sublim ity in combination

with its si mplicity O nly a p oet s soul co ul d have poure d
.
-
’

forth t hose inspire d stanzas whose solemn grandeur and soar ,

ing wing recall the lofty and enrapturing impressions p ro

d u ce d by the sacred Muse o fIsaiah .

With these explanations I call this narrative ,

THE AN TH E M OF CRE A TIO N ,

and fancy as I write the title that I hear the solemn an d

“
e xulting move m ents and harmonies o f Handel s
’
Creation
peal and thr ill thro ugh my soul .

Mu c h t o the loss o fthe unlea rn ed reade r the poetry o fthe ,

Bible is printed in the co m m on E nglish translation in the

same way as the prose It is a natural c onclusion that from .

first to last the Bible is a book o f prose Most erroneous ! .

L arge portio n s o f the Bible are poetic b oth in for m and sub
stan c e In order t o assist you in app r e ciatin g t h e poetry o f
.

this anthem I subj oin the first five verses w ritten in lines
,
.

In t he be in n in g g , Go d c r e at e d th h e e av en s an d t he e ar th .

An d t he h ut f m d i d
ear t hw as wi t o or an vo .

Ad d k n w p th f
ar ft h d p
n es s as u on e a ce o e ee .

A d G d i d L t l ight b
n o d l igh t w
sa , e e, an as .

A d G d w t h t t h ligh t w g d
n o sa a e as oo .

A d G d d i i d d t h l igh t f m t h d k
n o v e e ro e ar n e ss .

A d G d ll d t h l igh t d y ;
n o ca e e a

A d th d k
n h ell d ghtar n ess e ca e nI .

A d th n i g d th m i g w
e e v en n th fi t d an e or n n as e rs ay .
78 B IR T HP L AC E OF THE B O OK OF JOB .

I
S E C T ON IV .

S A TAN IN THE B OOK OF JOB .

The Shemitic vie w o f Go d in its most rigorous form has

n o w been s e t before yo u in its relations with the O ld Tes t a

ment Scriptures A qualified conception o fit is presented in

.

the book o f Jo b The degeneracy is both marked and mea

.

sured by the appearance in the composition o f a being called

S at an This is the central poin t toward which my present
-
.

remarks must tend What is Satan in the Scripture ? An

.

individual reality o r an o f fshoot o fO riental imagination ?

The age when the b ook inscribed with the name o fJo b was
produced is a m atter o f dispute after all the discussions the ,

subj ect has undergone With so m e critics it is the most

.
,

ancient book o f the O ld Testa m ent ; with others it has its ,

place among the most recent O thers again assign it a .

, ,

medium date In their j udgment it was produced in the

.
,

classic period o f the Hebre w literature perhaps under the ,

reign o fSolo m on This time is strongly recommended by the

.

fact that then Hebrew culture and the fame o f that culture
extended from Jerusalem its centre far and wide over c On, ,

ter mi n ous lands Id u m ee a was a minor centre o f the sa m e

.

literary skill and fame This probably is the birthplace o f

.

t h e b ook o fJob Co mm only accounted a Hebrew work it is

.
,

totally free fro m a speciall y Hebre w colouring making no ,

mention n o t ev e n by i m plication o f the Mosaic la w o r the

, ,

institu t ions which g at h er e d around it Among tho se in s t i tu

o
.

tions was a c ompli c ated syste m o f sacrificial o fferings in par t ,

derived fro m ages long anterior t o Moses in p ar t parasitic ,

a ccretions which comi n g from sacerdotal and other quarters

, , ,

fastened the m selves o n the body o fthe Mosaic religion This .

system o f sacrifices was in operation durin g the long perio d

at some point o f which the book o f Jo b c ame into existence .

Had it been produced in t he land o fCanaan had it been p r o ,

80 S ATAN A N AC TOR IN A S AC RED DR AMA .

sented in this composition In favour o f this view I should .

,

did space allow cite the opinion o f o n e o f the most aecom

,

p lish e d O riental scholars E rnes t R enan *

R enan moreover ,
.

states that t h e book o fJob is founded o n a legend Certainly .

it is a po em With the exception o f a brief prologue and a

.

brief epilog u e t h e whole bo ok is poetic b oth in form and

,

spirit It is a didactic poe m a fter the manner o fPope s E ssay

’

.
,

o n Man So manifest is the fact as to create astonishm en t that

.

any o n e versed in study should ever have supposed it a history .

With a true knowledge o fthe character of the composition ,

t h e historical reality o fits Satan falls to the ground Satan is .

simply o n e of the actors in the sa c red dra m a The restoratio n .

t o Satan o f his real character brings the book ba c k into the

cat egory of Shemitic literature and Shemitic thought to which ,

i n the m ain it unquestionably belongs 5 yet belongs with a

,

difference That difference lies in this that although the

.
,

b ook o f Job knows nothing o f the Turanian and Arya n

dualism and regards Go d s w ill as equally without rival and
,
’

without control it yet mentions another being which many ,

have ident ified with the Aryan devil .

To t ally however without reason R ead the words which

, ,
.

appertain to Satan as found in the Bible .

The narrative is doubtless equally sim ple and graphic S o .

much likelihoo d to truth does it contain that so long as it ,

re m ains in its o wn phraseology it com m ands assent and con

currence N evertheless the moment yo u try to r e create the
.
,
-

picture in your o wn mind yo u become v ividly sensible o fthe ,

Le L iv r e d e Job, t r a d it d
u eI Hebr eu p ar
’
E rn e st Ren an M embr e ,
de
l In st it ut
’
. 1 v ol . 8 vo . P a r i s, 1 85 9 In s eak in . p g th f us a v o ur a bly of R en an ,
I fi c on ne m y lf t hi
se o s sc h l h ip
o ar s . The m an an d his Opin i on s a r e s om e w ht
a

f lly
u a n d cr it i llyca w d by m
AM AN UAL o r CHRIS TI AN E V I D E N CE
r e v ie e e in ,

con t ain in g a s a n A n tid ot e t o c ur r e n t M at e r i ali s ti c Ten d en ci es p ar ti c ul a r ly

, ,

a s f o u n d i n t h e W r it in g s o f E r n e s t R e n an a n O u tl in e o f t h e M an if est ati o n ,

o f Go d in t h e B i bl e in P r o v i d en c e, i n H ist o r y i n t h e U n iv e r s e a n d in t h e
, , ,

L o r d an d S a v i o ur J es us C h rist B y J oh n R B e ar d D D 8 v o b o un d. .
,
. . . .

P rice 1 0 3 6 d . L on d o n .S impkin Mars h all 8: Co ( Th e Ed i t o r ) , . .

 GO D E MP E TE
T N OT AN Y ON E . 1

incong ruity o f the W hole and its several parts with th e

deepest m oral intuitions o f your soul S o certainly is this .

the experience o f every ecclesiastically untutored m in d that ,

i t is a m ong the strangest o f mental and m oral phe n o m ena

that the scene should ever have i mp osed itself as a reality o n
any ordinarily cultivated person .

R eproduce then in yo ur o w n though t the idea here g i v en

, ,

“
o u of God Instead of God say My o w n father and then
y .
, ,

ascribe to your fathe r what is here attributed to God You .

shrink from repeating t h e i mpieties that must ensue aloud .

Yet I ent reat you to go over the whole scene simply s ubs t i ,
“
t uting with the necessary verbal chan g es the words
, My ,
”
father for God Then say can that be true o fGo d which
.
,

w ould be a sha m eless calu m ny if uttered o f your fathe r ?

What I is then the S cripture false which runs i n these words
“
L et no m an when he is te mpted say I am te m pted o fGod 5 ,

f o r God te m pteth not any o n e

( Ja m es i Y ”
et Go d n o t .

o nl y te m pts Jo b but a c cordin g to the or t ho dox Vie w he

, , ,

e mploys the basest yet the most po werful o fevil spi rits to be
, ,

his instrum ent in the un worthy task N ay when fo r the first .

, ,

ti me Jo b co m es o ut o f te m ptation u n inj ured he lays another ,

snare and o n e o fsuch a nature tha t the vi c ti m is caught and

,

brought to moral and spiritual despai r Moreover while .

,

Go d as the pri m e agent thus co mm its acts which if done by

, ,

any father in any v illage in E ngland would c all forth a cry o f ,

in d ignan t reprobation against so unnatural a parent God is ,

“
made t o d eclare to Satan in express ter m s Tho u movedst ,

me against h im What ! Go d moved by Satan ? The in fi

.

n it ely wise and good O ne moved by the incarnation o f evil

—
to a wicke d act l that is to assail a second tim e and wit h
, ,

more e fi e c tual weapons a hu m an be i ng strong enoug h to

,

resis t for the first ti m e b oth God and the devil ? And do
y o u call this history R eality Is this the God o fthe Bible ?

Is this really in the Bible ? Every pious mind will long to -

answer No I no I this is yo ur infirmity

,
.
”

N o ! it is not there in substance It is not there for .

G
82 S ATA N IN JOB THE CH IEF “
D E TE o TIv E .
”

doctrine It is there o nl y as t h e i magery o f a p o etic

.

parable .

This o n e consideration su ff ices to overthrow the hypothesis

o fthose the great maj ority o fBible readers ) who suppose that
(
the things here spoken o f took place as or di nary things such ,

as eating drinki ng reading talking take place every day in

, , , ,

the life yo u live at home and abroad But I must offer an o .

ther c onsideration .

“ hat is the picture here drawn ? It is t h e picture o f an

T

O riental court with transcendently more than its ordinary

,

sumptuousness ( Co m p 1 K in gs xx ii . It is audience day . . .

The courtiers all assemble t o pay ho m age t o the King o fkings .

He comes fort h in radiant maj esty and as cends the thr one , ,

blazing with incomparable gems The prostrate w orshipers .

arise when o n e who as well as others has the right o fentry

, , , ,

presents hi mself as not unkno w n nor undistinguished The .

appearance however imp osing is not un usual Indeed it is

, , .
,

“
no less a p ersonage than ( to use intelligible language ) the
Ki ng s Attorney general whose function is to keep watch
’
-

,
”

and ward all over the empire and t o report t o the Sovereign ,

all breaches o r prob able breaches o f the law The accu ser .

( such is the i m port o fthe Hebrew rises to speak when he is

) ,

asked by the K ing Hast thou considered my servant Job ,

I have is the reply 5 a fair seeming o n e but thoroughl y

,
-

selfish Touc h hi m in a tender place and he will curse

.
,

thee to thy face Jo b is touched and touched so as t o feel

.
,

it kee nl y Yet instead o fcurs ing God he blesse s him

.
, , .

Another grand court o f au di ence is held and there the .

Kin g and his Attorney gener al devis e measures which over -

throw their victim .

We have looked at these scenes morally and declared them

fiction L ook at them intellectua lly Is thi s your idea of
. .

Go d ? Is his universal presence a fter all to be d w arfe d to , ,

the p etty dimensions o fan O riental cour t and his all fostering ,
-

an d all s us tai ni ng Providence to be reduced t o the tinsel

-

pageantry o fa few score o fO riental c o urtier s ?

 THE P O P ULA R S ATA N AN D THE S ATA N IN JOB .

Take care lest with such a conception o fGod and Provi

,

dence you bring the Bible into irrecoverable di scredit and

, ,

condemn your religion to irreversible conte m pt .

But now let us descend to minor things This Satan is no .

Satan at all The Satan o fthe churches and the creeds the
.
,

Satan o f sup erstition is a totally different being as you will , ,

see if you run your eye down the items that stand in these
parallel c olumns
S A TAN or THE P R I E S TS . S A TA N or THE BOOK or J OB .

S at an i s t he s ou r c e o fall e vi l . S at an i s t h e a ccus er .

S at an i s t h e p ri n c e o f d il
ev s . S at an i s o n e o ft h e s o n s o f Go d .

S at an i s t h e an t a g on is t ofGo d . S at an i s G od s in st r u m en t
’
.

S atan dfi e es Go d . S atan d oes Go d s bi ddin g ’

.

h ll g d h
'

S at an m o v es an d w o rk s i n -
e . S at an o e s u p an d own on ear t .

S at an is b a n is h di t d
e n o ar kn ess . S at an tak es hi s pl ac e in t h e s hi n in g
g l xy
a a of Go d h ’
s eav en ly c ou rt .

—
It is a series o fcontrasts contrasts m ost broad and striking .

” “
The Satan o fthe Book o fJob is the contradiction of The
“ ” ”
Sat an o fthe Priests and The Satan o f the Priests is the ,

“ ”
caricature o f The Satan of the Book o fJo b Scarcely have .

the two anything in co mm on but the na me .

An d even this they have not reall y in common Satan in .

ordinary phrase denotes a fall en angel the origin of all evil ,

a person o f an angelic nature though fell ruthless and cruel , ,

in disposition and in act This is Satan as held and taught .

by the pop ul ar tea chers of Christendom whether Papal o r Pro ,

~

testant E piscopalian o r Presbyterian Conformist o r N oncon

, ,

o rmi s t
f .

And what is Satan in the boo k o f Job ? He is no p erson

at all 5 but a picture in a gall ery o f pictures an i m a e in a
5 g
work o fi m agery 5 a character in a poem 5 an actor in a dram a 5
fi —
an of cer in a court a cour t which exists no where i n r er z cm
n a tu r al but in print in manuscript in painted Missals n o w
, , , ,

for many thousand years but which originally existed in the ,

teeming brain o f some unkn own Arabian poet And what .

part does that poet make his Satan play ? He is the Accuser ,
 4 THE S ATA N E Q U IVA LEN T TO THE ACC U S ER .

t he Attorney ge n eral celestial law cour t o ffinal appeal

-
,
o fthe -
.

This is he and nothing more and this only as a fig m ent o f ,

some O riental brain w hich troubled with the terrible qu es ,

tio n s Whence evil ? What for ? Esp e c ially W hy do good m e n

, ,

su ffer ? W h y does Go d create o r permit s ufferi n g ? Is suf

I

fe ri n g t h e p unishment o f sin — troubled p u zzled w orn an d , ,

wearied by these in s oluble problems rushed into verse an d , ,

freely spun his speculations as rather a relief t o his labouring

thoughts than in the hope o f satisfying others more than he
was satisfied himself pleading the case as he does w ith all , , ,

the subtlety dexterity and eloqu enc e o fthe first law officer
,

o f the land Satan is then n o t a perso n but a character

.
, , , ,

a specific and well k n own character in an O riental court -

,
.

—
Just as the sovereign has his s w ord bearer his mace bearer ,
-

his cup bearer his train bearer so has he his accuser wh o

-

,
-

, , ,

just as those o fficers are called also the sword bearer the -

train bearer -
bears the descriptive title o f the Accuser
,
.

S o then the term proves to be n o n ame at all but simply

, , ,

a title a legal title in a court o flaw This i m portant fa c t

,
.

looks o ut ( so t o say ) reproachfully from the original Hebrew

“ ‘
a s m uch as t o say How could you make the Accuser ‘

into your personal Satan ? Beyond a doubt it is in the

original the S atan (tha t is the Ac cuser )
,
T w elve tim es ,
.

w ithin about a score o f verses does the word o c cur and in ,

every instance it has before it the dis tin c tive prefix THE thus ,

determining the meaning as o fficial an d denoting a designa ,

tion a well kno w n designation o f certain functions certain

,
-
, ,

subordinate and legal fun c tio n s The same determining for c e .

is found in the S eptuagint o r Greek translation o fthe O ld

Testa ment There t o o it is th e “
. I translate into
ordinary E nglish the Greek 6 Bt dfio ko g (the Accuser ) b ecause ,

the E nglish term devil has an acquired an adventitious m ean ,

Theo d o t ion , an o th er a n ci en t Gr e ek t r an s lt a or o f t h e Ol d Tes tame t n

'
wr iti g s
n ,
has 0 a w uce ip ev o g , th at i s th e Ad t e rs a r y . Ha d S atan b e en

g d d by him
r e ar e as a pe rs on , h e wo ul dp r oba bly h av e r e ain e t d t he H ebr ew

w d it elf
or s .
 THE B O OK OF JOB A S AC RED D RAMA .

ing or rather a c lust er of meanings born an d bred of philo

, ,

sophic spe c ulation vulgar superstitions and ecclesiastical self

,

seeking co mbined with c hild like dread

,
-
.

F o r t h e view that I ha v e now put forward and supported ,

I c ould easily fin d sanction in the writings of eminent theo

lo g i c al criti c s O ne rnust suffi ce R enan denies that the Sa tan
. .

o fth e book of Job is even the principl e o f evil 5 mu c h l ess ,

then is he the leader of the rebel angels These are R enan s

, .
’

words The Satan whi c h figures in the prologue is n o way

the Ahri m an of the Avesta 5 he d o es n othi ng but by the com
mand of God 5 he is an angel more d isp osed to m ischief than
the others 5 fault fi n d in g and given to s candal 5 he is not t he
-

w e
S pirit of evil existing and a c ting in and o fhim s elf
,
.

Indeed the book of Jo b represents no other reality than

,

the highest of an earthly kind nam ely thought religious , , ,

thought syste m atic ally an d poeti c ally expressed in w ha t w i t h

,

some lati t ude m ay b e calle d a She m itic d ra m a whose obj ect ,

is to explain why goo d m en s ufi er and so m etim es sn fi e r ,

h eavil y under t h e ruling hand of Go d

,
In the sublim e w ork .
,

Satan is S i m ply o n e o f the ( m a tts p ers o n ce The whole .

being so m anifestly in for m a poe m the wonder is that cer ,

tai n par ts d id not shew m inds o f ordinary dis c ernm ent t h at

God does n o t c o m e on the stage in a p art Whic 1 ill comp or t s
l

with his a c kno wledged attributes and c onsequently could ,

never have been m eant to represent t h e Creator hi m self in

his proper c hara c ter How inco m patible with such a view are
.
,

fo r instance the questions put to the Satan w hi c h im ply

, ,

ignorance o n the part o fthe questioner fir st as to the Satan s ,

’

kno wle d ge and then as t o the real chara cter o f the m an of

,

Hz . O n s uc h po in ts surely the O m niscient needed no in

, ,

form ation 5 least o f all did he need such information as he

”
m ig ht expec t to receive from “
the father o flies .

E tud e su r le Po é me d e Jo b, p xxxi
. x .
86 WHO M OV ED D AV ID TO NU MB ER THE P E O P LE ?

S E C T ON VI .

THE F OU R R E MA IN I N G P A S S A GE S OF THE OL D TE STAM EN T IN W H I CH THE

W OR D S A TAN I S U S E D C ON S I D E R E D : CON CLU S ION .

N either the name n o r the idea Satan in any sense en t ered

of

into t he thought and phraseology o f the Hebrews s o long a s

t hey retained their genuine characteristics In d ependently o f .

the in stances referred t o as occurring in the book Of Jo b ,

the word occurs in the O ld Testam ent writings only four

t imes 5 v iz 1 Chronicles xxi 1 5 Psal m cix 6 5 Z echariah iii
. . . .

l 2 All these instances appear in writings o f late o r very

, .

late dat e I will take them in the order in which they stand
.

above .

“
1 Chronic les xxi 1 : And Satan stood up against Israel
.

and provoked D avid to nu m b er Israel Here probably we .

”

have in the term Satan an instance o f the depraving in fl u

ence exercised o n the thought and the diction o fthe Shemitic
Jews by the d ualistic theory o fZ oroaster If so then Satan .
,

in this case is the Hebrew form for the Ar y an Ah ri m an I am .

the more inclined to think that the word Satan here denotes
“ ”
t h e devil because contrary t o what it is in the book o fJob
, , ,

it is without the article b oth in the Hebrew and the Greek

,
.

Yet the force is taken o ut o fthis scriptural testi m ony ( su ch as

it is ) by the parallel passage found in the much earlier history
o f Sa m uel where with loyal regard to the true Hebrew idea
, ,

o fthe origin o fgood and ev il D avid o n the occasion spoken

, ,

o fin the text o f Chronicles is said t o have been moved o f

,

“
God The wor d s ru n thus ( 2 Sam xxiv l )
. The anger o f . .

Jehovah was kindled against Israel and he (n o t Satan ) moved ,

D avid against them to say Go and numb er Israel ,

This .
’

has so m eti m es b een c alled a contradiction as t o fact 5 it is also

a co n tra di ction as to theology .

The passage in the Psal m s ( cix 6 ) is full Of the bitter .

animosity o f the Shemitic spirit but makes no reference ,

88 c OD S
-
’
M ER OIF U L DE A L IN G S W ITH IS R A EL .

of the state Already a beneficial change had taken place

. .

Yet the p eople were still op en to i m peach ment At this .

p oi n t a series of visions is in the t r ue O riental m anner brought

, ,

into Operation in order to work to the desired result L et it

, .

b e pre m ise d that the civil and military po w er as represente d ,

b y Z erubb ab el is stanch for Go d and duty Hardly can the

, .

s am e b e sa i d for either priest or people Serious faults m ay .

b e laid to their c h arge Accordingly Joshua the high priest .

,
-

the recognized representative as o f the priesthoo d s o o f the

people appears in court in u n cle an raim ents denotative
, ,

of the sins of his class and o f the nation Bein g plac ed in .

wh at in mo dern l aw usage s is called the do ck the O fficial ,

accuser Of God s court stands up an d reads the indictment

’

w h ich h e ill ustrates and enforc es Thereupon God the pre .

,

sidin g Judge moved by mercy and by no m ean s de n yin g the

, ,

inculpatory allegations besto w s a pardon and in token o f , ,

that grace co mm ands the forgiven priest to be attired in holi

day rai m ent Th e order is obeye d and fest ivities ensue
.
,
.

Thus ends the first act o fthe drama .

N evertheless God s goodness which naturally leadeth to

,
’ “
,

repentanc e ( Ro m ii
”
fail s o f its due e fi e c t Again the
’

. . .

Je ws transgress and again they suffer Still there are hope .

ful signs and God s goodness is inexhaustible Another tri al

,
’
.

is conceded Yea favour is added to favour Brill iant pro

.
,
.

“
m ises are held out Z erubbabel the Branch shall rebuild
.

the te mple an d bring back bright and prosperous days .

Here the curtain falls An d such is the loving kin d ness .

,

o f Jehovah ,
it falls in a sky so serene and charming as t o
pro m ise a bright aurora o n the morrow .

Th e pa s sage thus s e t for t h and explained in its true light

, ,

totally shuts o u t Ahri m an and m akes God supreme and alone ,

i n his dealings w ith h i s p eople Israel .

T hat then is the final result of o ur studies ?

V
, ,
O nly the
faintest trace (if any ) is found of the sa c erdotal Satan in
'
the O ld Testa m ent w hile the genuine She miti c idea of God s
,

sole and unshared sovereignty is distinctly and repeatedly

 S AC ERDO TA L CA S TE W OR S H IP -
.

de clared D id space per mit I could easily follow this tes

.
,

t i m o n y up w ith illustrati v e i m pli c ations w hich ascribing the , ,

m oral govern m en t o f the universe to God exclude all and ,

e v ery pa rtnership whatever .

O ne instance however of th e extreme rigour with which

, ,

the sole s o v ereignty o f Jehovah was guarded in the Hebre w

reli gious tho ught is presented in 1 Kings xxii w here the
, ,

lying S pirit w hich m isled Ahab to death in b attle is expressly -

and e mphati c ally stated to have b een put into the deceptive
prophets by Jehovah him self
The prophet of Jehovah M i c aiah the son of I mlah said , , ,

‘
Hear the word of Jeho v ah : I s a w Jehovah sitting on his
t hrone and all the host of hea v en standing by h im on h i s
,

right hand and o n his left And Jehovah said : Who will
.

persuade Aha b that he m ay go u p and fall at R a m oth Gilead -

An d o n e said o n this m anner and ano t her said on tha t

“

m anner And there ca m e forth a sp i ri t and stoo d before

.
,

Jehovah and said I w ill persuade h im An d Jehovah said

, ,
.

unto him TYh er e wit h ? An d he said I will go forth and I

, , ,

w ill be a lying spirit in the mouth of h is prophets And he .

( Jehovah ) said Thou shalt

,
persuade h i m and prevail also 5 ,

go fort h and do so N o w therefore lo I Jeho v ah hath put a

.
,

lying spirit in t h e m outh of all these thy prophets ,

”
and Jehovah hath spoken evil con c erning thee .

A c tuated by his prophets w h o w ere actuated by Jehovah , ,

Ahab king o fIsrael wen t fort h and fell in battle against Syr ia
, ,

—
at R am oth Gilead His fall w as m a d e dishonourable and Offen
.

sive for the dogs li cked up his b l ood This intensely She m iti c
,
.

narrative o n ly to o markedly preser v es the sole sovereignty Of

Jehovah 5 only to o markedly I say 5 for the j ealousy of ,

Jehovah is here painted in colours so bla c k and distressing a s

to as cribe to h im qualities and a c ts co m m only held to be
characteristic o fm yself But this is not the first nor the last
.

ti me that sacerdotal caste w orship has t h ro wn a funereal pall

-

Ove r the face o fthe F ather Of the universe .

90 “
THE FA LL ”
A ‘

SP E C U L A TIV E MY TH .

C H AP T E R I I .

THE A R YA N OR PA C AN ELE M EN T THE

“
HAL L , A N A LLE G O R Y
IN P I C TURE S .

I N o w approach a theme of sur pass ing Im portance not so ,

m uch indeed i n itself as in the uses to which it h as been

,

turned I allude to what is termed the F all o f Man

.
“
.
”

Here is the great t heologic al reservoir The w hole system o f .

current orthodoxy lies in ger m here Here is the root which .

h a s produced the m yriads o fhuge folio to m es of theology and

t heological p hi l osophy w hich burden the Shelves o f libraries ,

s m all and great public and private all but innumerable

, ,
.

And here finally is the origin o f the load of intellectual

, ,

d ifficulty moral complication religious anxiety doubt and

, , ,

desp air w hi ch has lain lik e a grim i nc ubus o n the bosom o f

, , ,

hu m an beings whom Chr ist came to relieve to liberate an d , ,

to m ak e p eaceful for now nearly two thousand years Yet

, .

this mountain o ftrouble and w o e h as b een prod uced by theo

—
logical sp ec ulators and visionary p oets has been I say pro , ,

d u c e d and thro w n up o u t o fthe m ole hill of a pagan myth -

.

The She m itic mono t heism never wholly lost its influence
among th e Israelites so long as they maintained their p olitical
and religious p oli ty o n their native land o fPalestine Ye t .

did they not always keep themselves free from Gent ile p ol
l ut i on
. The fac t is illustrated in the second account o fc rea
tion given in Genesis ii 4 iii 2 4 .
-

. .

”
“
The fall Of m an as the ecclesiastical p hr as e runs r e pr e
, ,

“
sents a serpen t as the occasion whi ch brought death into
”
the world and all our wo e But n o o n e pretends that I am
.

expressly named in the narrative Yet had I for m ed an .

essential element in the Hebrew religion and had I been ,

considered as myself the seducer Of Ev e I should it is fair to , ,

”
presum e have appeared in m y o wn prop er person
,
But .
,

says speculative theology you are denoted under the sy mbol ,

”
o f the serpent I admit that the serpent does appear as a
.
92 THE MY TH ICAL S ER P EN T .

ings which wo ul d now be enun ciated as abstract propositio n s .

They told a pleasant story and left the m oral to b e extracted ,

by the ingenuity of the be ar er or re ader The tenden c y t o .

make fact subordin ate to t h e m oral i s seen in m any of the

s o called histori c al books o f the Hebre w s
-
In the narrativ e .

o f t h e F all the obj ect o f the writer w as t o explain the great

,

m oral mys t ery the origin o f evil and the apparent estrange
,

ment from heaven 5 to account for the presumed connection

o f increase of kno w ledge with increase of mi sery 5 and in ,

p ar t icular to recon c ile t h e great penalty Of death w ith D ivine

,

Jus tice Subordinate to these greater p oints w ere the ques

.

tions Why is the earth c overed with t horns and w eeds ?

,
'
Yv h en c e t h e origin of clothing Of sexu al sha m e and passion ? ,

Whence the in fli c tion o f labou r 5 and h o w are w e to justify

the degraded condition o f w o m e n in the E ast o r to account ,
”
for the loathing so generally felt to w ards the serpent tribe ?
( II .A Ol seq ) , .

Ha ving thus explained the general character o fthe narra

tive I take up s everal particulars o n w hi c h a fe w explanatory
,

w ords see m desirable 5 and first the serpent The se rpen t ,

.

in vie w of the an c ients had t w o sides o f chara cter It is .

the bad whi c h he wears in Genesis Here as Oft en the .

, ,

—
serpent is a sy m bol a sy mb ol of subtleness te m ptation , , ,

malevolence These are exactly the qualities o fAh ri m an

. .

As a s y m bol o fevil the serpent appears a m ong t h e e mblems

,
'
o f S eva Ro u d r a the Hin do o po w er o fd es o la ti o n a n d death
-

,
=
.

It gnaws the ro ots o fthe tree o flife in the E ddas and bites ,

the heel o f t h e un fortunate E urydice Generall y in Hebrew .

w riters it is a typ e of evil (PS lviii 4 c xl 3 5 Prov xxiii 3 2 5 . .

, . . .

E ccles x 8 1 1 5 Sirach xxi 2 x ii

. .
,
and is parti c ularly .
,
.

s o in the Indian and Persian m ythologies “ hen the se a is

T
.

churned by Mount Mandur rotating within the coils o f the ,

cos m ical serpent to pro du c e the A mrita o r water o fimm o r

,

tality the serp ent vo m its a hideous poi on w hich spreads

,
s
,

C omp ar e t he c o mm en t in B un sen s B ibel wer k

’

,
I
.
, Gen . i ii . 1, s eq .
 OR IEN TA L IN J UR IE S TO W O M EN . 93

and infects the u niverse but which Vishnu renders har m less ,

by s wallo wm g it Ahri man in serpent form invades t h e.

, ,

real m o f O rm uzd tainting fi re w ith smoke and light wi th,

darkness ; the kingdo m o f pure light beco m es thenceforth

shared with night o r divided between good and evil ; the ,

destroyer strikes m an with disease and pollutes every part ,

o f nature The bull the e m ble m o f life is wounded and

.
, ,

d ies ; and the an c estors Of the hu m an race te m pted by the ,

fruits which Ah ri man presents to the m are made subj ect to ,

pain and d eath It was therefore a re ligious Obligation with

.

every devout follo w er of Z oroaster to exterminate reptiles

“ ”
and other im pure animals especially s erpents A particular , .

season Of the year was appointed for the purpose may s a mba ;

d u t pe m g the d es tr u c ti o n of the evil thi n g s ) ; this w as the

’
a ,

third age of the world when in the chronology o fthe Persian , ,

legen d t h e assault o f Ahriman occurred

,
It be c ame a .

m axi m Of the Z end Avesta that Ahri m an the principle o f -

, ,

evil made the grea t serpent wh o assaulted the creation o f

,

O rmuzd *
.

Having identified t h e serpent and his b rood with the

Magian Ahrim an I shall add a word o r t wo respe c ting the
,

s el e c t i On o fwoman by the tempter WV o man throughout the .

,

E ast espe c ially in ancient times was hel d in disesteem A

, , .

volu m e might be compiled o ut o f the disparaging w ords

uttered against her To confine m yself t o t h e Aryans Brah m a . .
,

the firs t man Of Hin doo c os mogony is linked t o a de m on ,

wife a daughter Of Patala 5 and in Persian legend the fir s t

,

w o m an M e s hia n e is the first V ictim to the sedu c tions o f

, ,

Ahri m an She also was the first that sacrifi c ed to the D ews
.

o r devils These D ews o r fallen angels having Ahri m an at

.

their head oppose the Am s h asp an d s o r good angels and a ffli c t

, , ,

those who lead righteous lives 5 next co m es Ander 5 n ext Savel 5

next Tamad 5 n ex t Tarik 5 next Z arelesh E ach D ew is the
'

Th e P ro g r ess o ft he I t ll t by R b t Willi m M k y V
n e ec ,
o er a ac a , ol . I . 42 1 .

C o mp a r e Guign iaut ’
s Re l igi d l A t i q it é I 1 8 1 7 0 7 7 4 2
on s e
’
n u , .
, ,
.
 94 THE PA R A D IS E OF F AB LE .

antagonist o fo n e o f
the seven angels The reig n o fAhrim a n .

an d h is D ews is the kingdom Of dar kness Here confusion .

c

and t rouble are at their height These mo n sters being male .

,

and female beget O ffs pring and multiply themselves under

, ,

various forms in order t o tempt and torment human beings

, .

Amo n g the forms are the serpent and the wolf The female .

D ews wh o bear the n ame o fParis i n struct men in various

, ,

kinds o f magic and means o f death B oth sexes take p o s .

session o fmen and women in order t o carry into e f fect their

opposition t o O rmuzd by injuring and tormenting his chil
d ren Fo r their exp ul sion the Z end Avesta prescribe s various
.
-

ceremonies p u rific at io n s sacrifices and prayers t o O rmuzd

, ,

and the pure spirits Here you have the original o fthe Papal .

exorcism Their kingdo m will eventually b e supplanted by

.

the kingdom o f light AS the triumph o f the kingdom Of .

light over the kingdom o fdarkness is a point in which Parsism

surpasses the popular form of Christianity I subj oin a distinct ,

state m ent made by Z oroaster himself ’

This unrighteous o n e (Ahriman ) this impure o n e wh o is ,

nothing but a devil ( D ew o r D evas) in his affections this ,

stark blind king o f wickedness he wh o does nothing but

-

e vil will yet at the end speak the word Observe O rmuzd s
, ,
’

laws an d introduce the wicked int o the dwell ings o f the

,
” i
good .
v

“
The pl ac e where t his fall was br o ught ab out was a
garden o r paradise ( park) The ancient Persians were fond .

o f gardens o r as they termed them ,

paradises They were
, , .

indispensable appendages o fregal abodes The P ersian E den .

o r Pleasure garden ) w a s richly provided with animals tr e es

( -

, ,

plants and flowers o fall kinds Those gardens o r parks were .

also conne c ted with the m ysteries o f their religion O rm uz d .

tells Z oroaster “
I h ave created, 0 Z oroaster a place o f de
, ,

Z en d -
A v e st a , v on J . Kleuker , p 8 7
F . Rig a, 1 7 8 9
. C om p a r e
. .

Z o r o a st r e : Essal s ur la P h il oso ph ie R el ig i eu s e d e l a P e r s e p ar M J M e u ar t ,
. .

P
( ar i s , an d L es C iv ilisati on s Pri mitiv es en Ori en t p ar L A , . .

M artin . P a r is , 1 8 6 1 .
 6 “
THE RE S URRE C TION OF THE FLE S H .
”

’
fable of Z oroaster s descent into hell and this is the more ,

probable b ecause in his case the descent is historically fol

,

l o w é d by a resurrection that is in spring I will give the, .

outli n es of the authoritative s t ate ments .

While Z oroaster s b ody w as a prey to the v ultures he him

’

self was not dead Sustained and cherished by O r muz d he

.
,

revived and his revival entails a general revival The dead

, .

w ill rise Among the m first Kaj o m o r t s M es h ia and M i sh ian e

.
, ,
.

“
E very man will c o m e to life again S ouls w ill seek the .

bodies they formerly ani m ated and recognizing one another , , ,

w ill say t his one There is my father that one There is

, , ,

my mother With the wicked earthly bonds will b e broken

.
’

brothers w ill b e separated fro m sisters friends fro m friends , .

Then the heat of fire will enkin dle the universe which will ,

b e o n e vast c o n fi ag rat i o n In this torrent o f liquid m etals .

the pure will pass unhurt through the flames In their turn .

the D arv an d s ( an inferior order of D ews ) w ill in their tur n

make their w ay through that burning furna c e They will b e .

purified by the flames and repent in their hearts Then all ,

.

men will j oin in a sublim e sacrific e to the Am sh as p an d s .

S o s io ch at the head Of the risen ones seated on a throne of

, ,

dazzling splendour will preside over the grand Offering Of ,

ho m age by the righteous He w ill address his prayer to the .

E ternal O ne A loud voice w ill e cho through space and these

.
,

it
w ords will be heard : IT IS THE W I LL O F
Ahri m an alone w ill re m ain o n earth Then he w ill rush into .

the universal c o n fl agrat io n and co m e out purified Hastening .

upwards he will fall prostrate b efore O rmuz d acknowledging

, ,

h im as the Sovereign and the just Judge .

The last feature o f Magism which I shall report would of ,

itself suffice to shew the extent to w hi ch ecclesias tical Chris

ti an it y is indebted to it .

Man in com i ng into li fe receives a kind Ofbaptism which

M en an t ’
s Z or o ast r e ; E s sa i sur la P hil phie R ligi
oso e eus e d e la P ers e,
p . 89, s eq .
 P ER S IA N DE M ONOLO G Y THE S OUR C E OF DE M ONOLO G IE S . 97

purifies him o r rather withdraws him from the action o f

,

Ahrim an The m oral taint thus washed a way passes from

.
, ,

generation to generation The m alignant spirit is al w ays n ear .

to whisper evil into the ear of every new c o m er As soon as -

.

a hu m an being co m es into the world the D ews rush o n h im ,

and take him into their po w er It is in consequence nec o s .

sary to prevent their sinister designs and to neutralize their ,

pernicious influences The application o f t h es e c o un t era c

.

tions and remedies is in the hands of the priests an hie rar ,

chical order o f several ranks The high priest represents .

-

O rmu zd and is super i or to the king The archimage is thu s .

the veritable head of the nation He is the ki n g Of kings . .

In vain d o the princes deduce their prerogatives fro m heaven .

”
They must bend their kn ee before the head o f the Church .

( Menant pp 1 l
4 0
‘
’
, .

Yo u cannot m istake t h e striking resemb l ance that exists

between the Magi Of an cient days and the p rIes t s of modern
times The likeness has existed from at l east the fourth
.

ce n tury o fthe Chris tian era .

I have represented the Persian demonology as the principal

source o f all later de m onologies This involves a question o f .

date The Persian doctrine is deeply sunk in the ar ch aeology

.

o f the Aryan rac e s S o deeply sunk is it as to precede by ‘

many centuries similar modes of thought found in We stern

lands I t may however be asked whether it is n o t posterior
.
, , ,

in time to the seco n d account of creation found in Genesis .

That o fthes e two o n e is a copy o r that both have a common

, ,

origin there can be no do ubt

, But the complete and .

systematic chara c ter Of the Persian a ccount speaks for its

originality Then the name for the D eity
. Jehovah God , ,
”

u sed in the Biblical narrative brings its date down to a late

,

d ay in Hebrew history—a day indeed so late as to be long

posterior to the origin o f the Persian mythology Finally I .
,

must here caution yo u against a common mistake The Biblical .

Guign iau t , V ol . I p . . 3 1 7 ; Z or oast r e, E ss ai s ur h

la P ilos o ph i e de .

H
98 D IV E RG EN C E B E TW E EN THE G ENE S IS ACC O UN TS OF C R E ATION .

a ccount as t reating o f the creat ion is in ordinary minds s o

, ,

a ssociated with the origin Of the univers e a s t o cause a ch r o

n o l o gi c al confusion which b li ndly but n one the less forcibly , ,

identifies the date o f the narrative with the date o f creation .

Yo u may thi nk that as Moses was the author o f the Pen ,

t at eu c h the narrative in question must have been written

,

before his death I must disabuse your mind my dear frien d

.
,
.

In all theology there is n o t a m ore groundless theory than

that the first five books o fthe Bible came from the pen Of that
grea t legislator The most recent which is al so scientifically
.
,

“
the highest auth ority declares : The opinion s o generally
,

received according t o which the P entateuch as a whole is

, , ,

the work o f Moses finds n o support in the Pentateuch itself

,
.

In n o part does that collection ascribe a Mosaic origin t o the

five bo oks taken together It even seems t o affirm the c o n .

t r ary so far as the first four are concerned f

,
o r they tell us ,

e ither that Moses was comman ded t o write such and s uch an

e v e nt o r that he put into writing c ertain fragments which we

,

s till possess in those bo oks There would be n o sense in these .

declarations if the author meant t o attribute t o himself equally

all the rest What is actually recorded is the fact that Moses
.

wrote certain portions which are o f small extent And this ,

.

Is all we are told and all we I add a few additio n al

words from D r Kuen en s valuable production bearing o n what
.
’

I have said o n my o wn authority .

As t o what concerns Genesis we must specially notice ,

t h e very rem arkable divergence there is between the t w o

a ccount s o f the creation The second narrativ e commence s .

by the formation o fAdam the n recounts the creation o ftrees ,

a n d plants then that o f animals finally that Of the woman

, , .

No w o n all these points it is p ositively contrary t o the first

, ,
” “
o t h e second account o f the crea
n arrative
( p As t .

”
t ion it is certai nl y n o t by the same author as the first ( p
,
.

H ist or is ch K r it isch On d er z o ek d e B oeken d es Oud en V erbon d s &C

-
, .
, by
P r o fess or Kuen en , o ft he L eyd en Un iversit y ; t he F r en ch Tran slat ion , I . 13 .

P aris , 1 8 6 6 .
10 0 THE H E B RE W M IND IN TU ITIV E ,
THE A R YA N S P E C UL ATIV E .

denoted a di f ference Of authors h ip w as accepted at first slo w ly ,

by theologians o fe mi nence but being in the course Of inquir y ,

an d ti m e more fully developed and thoro u ghly established it ,

has since found all but universal acceptance from the days o f
D r Geddes ( 1 7 9 2 ) down to those of Bishop Colenso
. .

The second account of the creation betrays the lateness o f

its origin by its essential chara cter While th e fi rst account .

is intuitive the second is speculative While the first is a

,
.

poem the second is a mythologue The former implicate s the

,
.

action o f man s spirit u al n at ure the latter the s w ay of his

’

i m agination in union w ith his intellect The first ans wers .

“ ”
the great question When c e this universe ?
,
Th e second
attempts to solve the question Ho w ? The ans w er to the
,
”

former c o m es fro m Go d speaking in the universe itself The .

attempt i nvolved in the latter is rebuked w here Scripture

s ays :
C st th o u by s ea ch i g fi d o u t Go d ?
an r n n

C a t th ou fi d o u t t h e A l m igh ty t o p e f e ction 2
ns n r

It is s h igh h ea e wh at ca st th ou d o ?
a as v n n

D e ep e t h a H d e s 5 wh at c a st th ou kn ow
r n a n

The speculative character o fthe document refers us to a spe

c ul at i v e source for its origin The genu in e Hebre w m ind is.

intuitive n o t specul ative But speculation is the chief cha

, .

r act e r i s t i c o f the Aryan min d Hence we are directed to .

Persia o r India fo r the bir th place o fthe m yth An d as to -

.

its age it cannot have been eith er b orn o r bred in Pales

,

tine until the national mind had been deb ased b y tendencies
quite alien t o its own inherent qualities And thus we are .

brought do w n to the ag e o fE zeki el E zra and N ehemiah , .

This w as the period w hen the natio n al spirit Of Hebre wis m

w a s impreg n ated and lo wered by m ythologizi n g currents o f
thought coming from Babylon E cb at ana and the b ank s o f
, , ,

the Indus .

And n o w yo u will readily see how it came to pass that a

serpent was introduced into the narrative O ur author wanted .

to say that sin wa s disobedience to the known will of God ,

 S IN IS D IS O B ED IEN C E To THE W ILL OF GO D : 01

arising out Of im proper desire These are very abstra c t .

things ; they are things o f the m oral and religious order .

They have to be declared to hu m an being s in their infan cy .

Ho w is it to be done ? Sy m b ols m ust be e m ployed In other .

w ords the eye m ust be addressed

,
O nly through that avenue .

can m an s moral sense b e reached Ag ain the Black Boa rd

’
.

is u sed A recognized sy mb ol is e m ployed to denote God

. .

An apple and consequently an apple tree is chosen to deno t e

,
-

a pleasant attraction As yet ho wever the pi cture does n o t

.
, ,

speak It savs nothing To supply this se rious de fi c ien c y

. .
,

the for m of a serpent is introdu c ed Th is is the recognized .

sy mbol o f seduction The Serpent ere c t o n its tail has its

.
, ,

head w ith the apple in its m ou t h dire c t ed to the w o m an

, ,
.

Another pi c ture places t h e apple On the ground lying as ,

visible to both w h o n o w appear as c onversing the one w it h

,

the other the serpent persuasively the w oman hesitating ly

, , .

A third pi c ture she w s the wo m an eating the apple with

manifest delight 5 and a fourth one exhibits the m an doing
the sam e The story is told The first sin is co mm itted and
. .
,

by m eans o f another series or t wo you are taught in ful l tha t

s in is disobedien c e to the w ill OfGod .

The w o m an s w ill w as clearly m o v ed by an internal de s ire

’
.

That desire m ay have been the sexual p ass Io n the indulgen c e ,

Ofwhi c h w a s in i t self as innocuous S O innocent if only be

, , ,

c ause that desire she could not hav e felt had it not been
planted in her by the hand o f the Creator and for purposes ,

no less be n efi cen t tha n w ise Hither t o w e have not g o t to .

the bitter root of sin S ay the de s ire wa s appetite for food

.
,

and you are no nearer the g uilty cause Yo u th ro w the bla m e .

on me Ye t I did but shew her the apple a n d tell her it w a s

.

good The occasion o fher S in you m ay c all m e but certainly

.
,

not the cause The c ause Is to be found rather in the old

.

S he mi t ic idea that God is the author of evil as w ell as good

,
.

He m ade E ve what she w as and what she w as m a d e sin in ,

her case inevitable There she stood a poor w eakling n o t

.
,

k n o wing good fro m evil ; s t i m ulated by i mpulse a n d open t o

102 To KN OW T H IS Is THE F IR S T ST E P U P WAR D S .

misrepresentation I did not make her such I merely

. .

offered her something attractive t o the eye pleasant to the ,

ta ste and nu t ritious to the body She accepted my offer

, .
,

sinned and led her husb and into s in Wherein then lay
, .

the sin ? In her wil ful disobedience to her Maker s p r o hibi ’

tion She had been told n o t t o eat the apple Yet she did
. .

eat it 5 and di sobeying Go d sinned But God represents

, , .

the moral law Sin then is disobedience to a moral l a w ;

.
, ,

that is an internal power The w oman sinned because she

, .

di d that which she kne w she o ught not to do S o acting .

,

she sinned against her o w n light She could not t hen have .

b een absolutely ignorant o f good and right in c o n trad ist in c

tion to bad and wrong Had she been thus blind she could .
,

n o t have sinned Total m oral blindness is incapable Of doing

.

wro n g no less than Of do ing right A stock being devoid of .

moral perceptions is incapable o f sinning The acc ount then .

cann ot mean that the wo m an w as so blind for such bli ndness ,

w ould have reduced her into a me r e anim al R ather the .

account im plies t hat the w oman w as open to moral i mpres

sions w hen it makes her hear the w ord Of Go d
,
Thou shalt
”
not . Her condition w as that dubious o n e which seein g ,

duty sees it not 5 hearing its voice hears it not Perilous

, ,
.

position for su c h a moral infant as the w o m an manifestly w as !

—
It needed not the quasi o m nipotence theory ascribes to m e
to occasion h er fall L e t but an o c c asion come and her fall
.
,

was unavoi d able It c a m e ; she fell Wh at w as the co u se

. .

q u en ce ? S O the m an is b eco m e as one o f us to kno w goo d ,

and e v il ( Gen iii Well then if I had caused her

. .
, ,

sin I had rendere d her the greatest possible service and I

, ,

claim the honour o f having made Adam and E ve moral

b eings Before they had t h e moral capacity solely in embryo
.
, .

I acted as the w id w ife and the grand spe ciali ty o fman was ,

born This inevitable conclusion I press o n your mind if

.
,

o nl y t o shew you h o w dangerous it is t o buil d theologi c al

theories o n these ar chaic stories C ertainly hard names and .
,

d a m aging char g es s uch as I h ave so lo n g su ffered under should

104 Is F OUND IN THE B OOK OF T O B IT
.

Opposition s o fa r as first principles are concerned O nly o n

,
.

the surface o f the O ld Testament have I left an imprint o f

myself and in that i mprint yo u can see the trace Of no horns
, ,

n o clove n fee t no tail E ven in the later literature o f the

, .

Hebrew nation which I will term Je wish I cannot boast o f

, ,

great prominence And yet here I sowed seed which u n der

.
,

ecclesiastical fostering brought forth a plentiful crop The

,
.

Jewish belief in evil spirits was formed under the influenc e

o f Parsism ; yet th at influence C he c ked by the res istan c e ,

O ffered t o it by the She m itic spirit produced e ffects at firs t ,

n o t o fa very marked nature n o r o n a very large scale The .

most that it did w as to give a certain consistence to Obsolescent

tra d itions d erived from pagan ism that lingered in the popular
mind and to find suppor t in O riental imagi n ations when
, ,

not tempered a n d controlled by a severe and spiritual mono

theism .

N o t till yo u come do wn after the exile to the Jewish

Ap ocryphal boo k o f TO B IT do yo u find clear traces o f the
d emonology o ft h e Je w s o fPalestine and the J ew s o f Baby
’

lonia A devil by name As m odeus wh o appears in the Talmud

.
, ,

as the divinity o f lust and even as the prince o fevil spirits

, ,

falling In love with Sarah daugh t er o fR aguel a citizen o f , ,

E cbatana kills for his o wn vile purpose seven young men who
,

successi v ely were to be h e r husban d s ( iii 8 vi By the .

,
.

advice Of the angel R aphael who has beco m e travelling com ,

pani on to To bit s s o n the devil is put t o flight by the smoke

’

which rises from the liver o f a fish placed o n burning coal ,

an d hastens to hide h imself in the deserts Of U pper E gypt ,

where he is thrown in t o chains by the angel R aphael His .

demoniacal rival being thus disposed o f Tobit takes Sarah ,

t o wife and consum m ates the marriage without let o r hin

,

d ra n c e The po wer possessed by the devil was given him o f

.

Go d in order that Sarah s v ir tue might be tried and esta

’

blis h e d .

As m odeus ( temp ter ) j u dging by his na m e a Persian by

, ,

bir t h supports the reference o fthe Biblical doctrine t o Baby

,
 THE P ER S IA N OR IG IN O F THE J E WIS H DE M ONOLO GY . 10 5

lonia The sa m e effect ensues fro m the acquaintance w ith

.

Mesopota mia m anifested in his style by the unkno wn au t hor

Of the book who if not a native must have travelled in those
, , ,

lands Consequ ently he w as acquainted w ith the Persian

.

de m onology Indeed he in t rodu c ed into the w riting as m u c h

.
,

o fit as he could make co m port w ith the Je wish m onotheism ,

without going as far as the Mazdean dualis m w hi c h in it s ,

proper form does not fig ure in an n ewi s h c o m position and ,

without m aking me a rival po w er to that of God .

F rom the character of the book yo u are j ustified in in ~

ferring the Magian origin of the Je wish de m ono logy Taking .

into account the Persian origin of the nam e A s m odeus whi c h ,

rests o n the high authority OfR e land w e m ay declare that ,

the Jewish view o f m yself regarded me as the te m pter o f

hu m an beings ! In this unenviable aspect I am sy m b olized
in Genesis as yo u are a w are and thus the connection o f the
, ,

Je wish de m onology Wi t h tha t of Persia is put beyond a doubt .

The union o fthe t w o m akes a n appearanc e in these words o f

“
To bit s : Thou m adest Adam of t h e dust o f the earth and
’

gave him Eve for a helper ( Tobit viii 8 5 Gen ii iii ) ”

. . . ”

Si milar in result is the account whi ch the angel R aphael

gives of himself I am the angel R aphael ( a b eautiful young
man ( Tobit V o n e o f the seven who stand before the
.

L ord the good angel of God (Tobit v

,
“
W h en thou ”
.

To bit s father dids pray wit h tears and didst b ry the dead
( )
’
t u ,

I Offered thy prayer to the L ord 5 and be c ause thou wast

acceptab l e to the L ord it was necessary that te m ptation sho ul d
,

n o w the L ord hat h

” “
prove thee ( Co m p Job
. ii 3 seq ) And . .
,
.

sent m e to heal thee and to deliver Sarah thy son s w ife fro m ’

the devil And when they heard these things they w ere
.

seiz ed w ith fear and fell prostrate on the ground And the .

angel said to the m F ear not 5 for now that I am w it h you

, ,

I am here by the will of God ; bless ye h i m and sing hi s

praises I seemed indeed to e a t and to d rink with you 5
.
, ,

but I use m eat and drink which cannot b e seen by m e n .

N ow then it is time that I return to h im that sent me He .

10 6 THE F IR S T B OOK OF MACCAB EE S .

was then taken fro m their sight and was seen n o more .

Then they lying prostrate fo r three hours blessed Go d and

, , , ,
”
rising up told all his wonderful works
, ( Tobit xii ) . .

Here yo u have a c urious mixture o fAryan and Shemitic

elements The angel R aphael though he has a Shemitic
.
,

name appears as the chief Of the seven angels which recal

, ,

the seve n Persian Amsh asp an d s the pure spirits o r angels ,

whom O rmuzd created by Ho n o v e r his Word O n the other ,

.

side Asmodeus though he has a Persian nam e is Go d s

, , ,
’

instrument whereby t o try Tobit and Sarah even as Sata n ,

was fo r the trial o fthe virtue o fJo b Moreover the Shemitic .

,

element predomina t es for Go d sends Raphael and R aphael

, ,

returns back to Go d while Asmodeus is s o subordinate t o God

,

that R aphael binds him in chain s and so puts a s t op t o his ,

demoniacal doings ( Co m p Tobit ii . . .

The word devil presents itself i n the first book o f M AC

C ABE ES ( i where speaking o f apostate Je ws w h o ren
.
, ,

dering aid to Antiochus Ep ip h an es the Gree k as sailant and ,

bitter enemy o fthe nation took up a position o n Moun t Z ion

,

as a poin t o f assault against brethren w h o were faithful to

the religio n o f their forefathers and who m they hoped to ,

seduce and paganiz e the author o f thi s apocryphal history

,
“
declares ,
they became a great snare against t he sanctuary
”
and an evil d evil i n Israel The term employed signifies a
.

misleader S uc h is the nature o f the act here ascribed to

.

the He lleniz ed Jews But in this the only passage fo u nd in

.

the P al estinian Apocrypha it is a devil and not the de v il

, , ,

that is offered to your reflections And this devil while n o t a .

,

hundredth par t so black as the devil o f the Church receives ,

his darkest tint from the adj ective bet el implying that it was ,

possible to be a devil without at least being s o very m alignant .

This is a p oint that I have repeatedly drawn your attentio n

“ ”
to. But h o w is the term a bad devil used here ? In a
literal sense o r figuratively ? These apos t ates were in in t e n
t ion mi sleaders seducers in reality and may well be so cha
, ,

r act e riz e d without any reference t o any syste m o fde m onology

,
108 F IG UR A TIV E DE M O NOLO G Y OF THE AP O CA L Y P S E .

here the fable stops leaving a wide i nterval betw een itself and
,

the orthodoxy o fwhich it is the parent O nce mentioned in .

the writing o f some unknown Alexandrine Je w the devil ,

does no t recur even to the e n d It must b e ad mitted that

as I was shunned by pure Hebrewis m I receive s c ant favour ,

from its degenerate E gyptian form The do c trine too o fo r i .

, ,

in al sin thus referred to passes o u t o f sight as if asha m ed

g , , ,

o f itself The half paganized and spe culative author o fWis

.
-

d o m deduces no consequence therefro m N or after him does .

—
it r e appear in the writings of the Alexandrine Je ws Co ming .

into existence at a so m ewhat degenerate time the second ,

account o fcreation would not find a favourable soil in Hebrew

ism even when in later ages diluted and be clouded by paga n
,

apocryphal speculation It is unkno wn eve n to Philo wi t h .

,

a ll his love o f mystic double s enses F rom Josephus it .

receives a sense very dif ferent fro m what is n o w acc ounted

orthod oxy 5 for w ith him t h e serpent is a serpent and the ,

chief bla m e is thrown on Adam and Ev e as wilfully disobey

ing God 5 but not a w ord is uttered Of the alleged tran s m is
Y
sion of sin T hile the notion o f a per s o n al devil is eit he r
.

disowned and kep t in the back ground a m ong the superior -

writers o f those days it probably found so m e da rk c hannel

,

Of trans m ission for it presents itself again for the first ti me in

,

the Apocalypse (xi 7 ’

which is o n e o fthe earlies t book s
.

“
o f t h e N e w Testa m ent : And there was war in heave n °

Michael and his angels fo ught against the dragon 5 and the
d ragon fought a n d his angels and prevailed not 5 neither w a s ,

their place found any m ore in heaven 5 and t h e great drago n

w as cast o ut tha t o ld serpent called the devil and Satan
, , ,

which deceive t h the whole world 5 he wa s cast out o n to the

”
earth and his angels w ere cast out wit h him
,
And yet even .
,

here the use thus made of certain na m es is nothing m ore

,

than figures o f speech borro wed fro m the de m onology of the

day as the most suitabl e and forcible verbal descrip t ions Of
,

the pagan for c es th at under i m perial R ome w a rred agai n s t th e

infan t Church .
 PH IL O AN D J O S E PH U S . 10 9

N ot easily did I graft m yself on the good and sou nd Old

sto c k of Hebre w t hought .

The explanation of sin and d eath b y the action of a bad

prin ciple or person w a foreign to the Greek philosophy at
s
,

lea st in th e sens e in w hi c h it w as understoo d by the author of

t h e book of Wisdo m Accordi ngly t here is no reason for
.

s ur prise that it does not appear in P H IL O In his system .

o fre li gious m et aphysi c s t here is indeed a c ertain dual ism ; but

it is the Greek dualis m that is the Opp osition Of spir it and

, ,

matter of activi ty an d passiv ity of being and not bein g

, ,
-
.

And this dualis m although it is in realit y c onnected logi c all y

,

w ith the du ali s m of moral good and evil of O r muzd and ,

A hr im an is an Older and a milder form of t h e absolut e

,

dualis m and ceasel ess confli ct fabled in ecclesiasti c al w riters

as existin g and procee din g b e t w een Go d and m y s elf .

Moreover Philo atta ches no m etaph y si c al importanc e to

,

the t heory Of d em o ii s O nl y once does he m ention it in hi s

.

n u m erous pages D e Gigan ti bu s

( 4 )5 and the idea w hi c h he
,

form s of it does not rise ab ove the superstitions spread in

Palestine as to evil angels He fancies t hat their chief o c cu .

pa rion li es in ex citing i mp ur e desires in hum an beings .

F ro m the middl e of t h e seco n d centur y b efore Christ to the

day of t h e do wnfall of Jerus al e m de m onology see m s to have ,

c o n siderably gained sub stance an d p ro mi nen c e in Palestine .

Josephus without once employin g the w ord devil or the w ord

,
'

S atan speaks Of demons frequently ; and as hi s Opin ions on

,

t h e subj e c t w ere doubtless t hos e of hi s fell o w Jews y o u m ay -

hen c e c onclude that notions of the kin d were widely spread

around h i m .

Re ferrin g to the mult itude of m agi cians and co n j ur ors

that mis led the people in the w ar against R o m e Josephus ,

J War II xiii des c ribes the m in these w ords : fu of

)
“
( .
,
4 . . ll
deceit and of a kind of divine im puls e eager for change and ,

novelty they sedu ced an d maddened ( d e mo n iz ed ) the m ul t i

,

tude .

This demonizing of t h e p eople has it s parallel in t h e f ury with

 110 HOW TO CA ST O UT DE M ON S .

soldiers were stirred to mutual slaughter by Eleazar

w hich hi s

( J.War VII 1x , Such madness

. and .such f ury though ,

intense is n o t what is c ommonly meant by d evili sh o r de

,

m o n ia Cal .

'
P assin g from the verb Ba z p wv é w ( to d emo n iz e) I come t o ,

the noun Ba rp é mo v ( d emo n ) and find tha t Josephus attributes ,

the evil spirit which actuated Saul t o t he presence an d ter

“
rible w orkings o f the evil spir it and the demons which
D avid cast o u t by the sweet tones o fhis lyre ( J War VI .
, .

viii 2 viii
.
, Here we seem to have de m ons before us as
.

wicked spirits The metho d o fexorcis m e m ployed by D avid

.

is superseded in Josephus by o n e o fa less pure and I should , ,

add less e fficacious character

,
.

The method o f exorcism is described by the historian Of

“
t h e Jews in another passage ( Antiq VIII ii Go d . . .

enabled S olomon t o le arn that skill whi ch expels demons .

He al so composed such incantations as all eviate distempers .

Moreover he left b ehind him the way t o employ exorcisms

, ,

by which they driv e away demons so th at they can never

return This metho d o f cure is o f great forc e unto this day
. .

I have seen a fello w countrym an Of my o wn by n a m e Eleazar

-

, ,

releasing people wh o were demoniacal in t h e presence o fVes

p asian an d his sons and captain s and the whole m ultitude
,
”
o fhis soldiers .

The manner o f cure was t hi s : puttin g a ring bearing a

r oot ca lled B a s ras ( J War VII vi 3 ) t o the nostrils o f the
.
,
. .

d emonia c he thence drew the demon o ut o f the possesse d

,

person who fe ll do w n o n the earth Then he a dj ured the

,
.

d emon n o t t o return supporting his a djur ation by the name

,

o f Solomon and by incantations Wishing t o persuade the .

s pectators that he had the p ower o f ex e r c isin g d emons he ,

set a little w ay o ffa basin o f water and bade t h e demo n o n , ,

leaving hi s victim to overturn it thereby she w ing the people

, ,

t ha t he had left the man 5 and thus promoting the glory o f

e

Solomon ( Comp Matt x ii

. In a different place ( J War
. . . .
,

VIL vi Josephus des cribin g another method Of exorcism

.
, ,
 1 12 THE BO OK OF EN OCH THE P R OP H E T .

As yet we are acquainted with but o n e demon designated

by his o wn name 5 it is A s modeus o fthe book o fTobit T he .

Jewish pseudepigraphs whose demonology is surprisingly rich , ,

supply us with several others First co m es Beli ar t h e Syri ac .

,

form o f the Hebrew Belial respecting whom Paul asks ,

( 2 Cor v i . What .concord hath Chris t w ith Belial In

the S ybil li n e books Beliar is Antichrist and consequ ently the, ,

*
prince Of demons Then come the twenty chiefs o f the
.

de m ons w hose names are carefully registere d in THE B O OK O F

,

Jude the author o f which see m s to

h ave enriched his demonology with the superstitions o f all
the sects o fhis age .

As this book of En o ch t is very rare in E ngland and as ‘

it supplies a fair sam ple of the tone of the literature with wh ich
I am deali n g I transcrib e those names in the connection in
,

which they stand the quotation is an expanded and distorted

version o fthe w ords in Genesis ( v i The sons OfGod s aw .

the daughters o fm en that they w ere fair 5 and they took the m
wives o fall which they chose
It happened after the sons o fm en had multiplied in those
days that daughters w ere born to them elegant and beautiful
, , .

And when the angels the sons o f heaven beheld the m they , , ,

beca m e enam oured o fthem saying t o each other Come le t us , , ,

select for our selves wi v es from the progeny o f men and let ,

us be g et children Then their leader S am yaz a said to t hem

.
, , ,

I fear that yo u may b e in disposed to this enterprize and that ,

I alone shall suffer for so grievous a crim e But the y an ,

.

s w er e d h i m and said We all swear and bind ourselves by , ,

mutual execrations that w e will execute o u r proj ect Then .

they s w ore all together and bo und themsel v es by mutual

execrations Their whole numb er was t w o hun dred who
.
,

Ora c ul
d it d by Al x d II 1 6 9 III 6 3 6 4
a Sybill in a, e e e an er , .
,
.
, .

Th B k fE e h t h P ph t
oo A p yph l P d ti
o n oc e ro e ,
an o cr a ro uc on , n ew fi t
rs

t l t d by Ri h d L w
r an s a e D D A hb i h p f C h l
c ar a r en ce , . .
,
rc s o O as e . 3 rd ed .

i d
r ev s e Oxf d 1 8 3 8
. W ith th i h ld b
or ,
d D B h . s s ou e r ea ,
as uc H en o c h
U b
e t t u d
e rs e z kl t D A D illm
n er L i p ig 1 8 5 3
ar v on r . . an . e z ,
.
 THE AP O C R YPHA L “
F A LL OF THE A N G EL S .
”
113

d es c endedupon Ardis w hich is upon the t o p of Mo un t ,

A rm on These are t h e na m es of their chiefs : S a mya z a w h o

.
,

was t heir leader ; Uva ha ba r a meel Ahi beel Ta mi el Ha m uel , , , ,

D a ne l, Az heel S a r a huyel As a el Ar mer s

, , , ,
B a t r a e l,
-
An a n e ,

Z a ve lae , S a ms a veel, E r t a el, The n Tu r el, Yo mya el, Az a z yel .

they took w ives each cho osing for him self ; w ho m they began
,

to approach and w ith who m they cohabited 5 teaching them

,

sorcery incantations an d the dividing Of roots and trees

, , .

And the w o m en conceiving brough t forth giants whos e , ,

stature was each thr ee hun dred cubits These devoured all .

which the labour of m en produced Im t il it becam e im possible ,

to feed the m 5 w hen t hey turned the m selves agains t m en in

order t o devour the m 5 and b egan t o inj ure birds beast s , ,

reptiles and fishes t o eat their flesh one aft er another and t o
, ,

drink their bl e ed Moreover Az a z y el taught m e n t o m ake

.
,

s words 5 Am a z a r a h taught the sorcerers 5 Ar mers taught the

s ol u tion of sorcery ; B arka ye l taught the obs ervers of the st

Ah ibeel taught signs 5 Ta mi el t aught astronomy ; and As a r a d el

taug ht t h e m otion o f the m oon An d men b e ing destroyed .

'
cried o ut and their voice reached heaven Then M icha el and
,
.

Ga br iel Rap h a el S ur g el and Ur iel looked down from heaven

, , ,

and s aw the quantity Of bloo d which w as s hed on earth and ,

heard t he cries Then they said : O ye h o ly ones of heaven

.
,

the souls Of men co m plain say ing O btain j ustice for us wi t h , ,

‘
the Most High And the holy ones said : L ord of lords
.
’

King o fkings God of gods tho u has t seen what Az a z yel has
, ,

done h o w he has taught every species o fin iqui ty upon earth ;

,

and h o w S a mya z a to w ho m thou gavest authority ove r his

,

associates h as taught sor c ery 5 h o w they have lain w i t h the

,

daughters Of m e n and prod uc ed gi ants 5 and behol d the souls

Of the dead cr y out a n d co m plain ev e n t o the gate of heaven
wha t then ought we to d o to them ? Then the Most High spoke ’

and sent Ar s a ya la lg ur to L am ec h sa yin g S ay t o him in m y

‘
,

nam e Conceal thys e lf 5 the waters of a deluge shall c o m e ove r

,

al l the eart h and destroy all things An d the L ord said to .

’

Rap ha el : Bind Az a z yel ha n d and fo ot an d c a s t h i m in t o

‘
’

,
1 14 DE M ONOL OG Y OF
“
THE B U CH OF ENO CH .
”

dark ness 5 there shall he remain for ever and in the great day ,

o fj udgment let him be cast into fire TO Michael l ikewise

’
.

‘
the L ord said : GO and announc e his crime t o S a mya z a and
t o those wh o are with him Take them a w ay into the lowest
.

depths o fthe fire 5 in torm ents and in confinement shall they

be shut up fo r
“
There yo u have the full p icture o f the fall o fthe angels ,

involving the incarceration o f Az az yel their leader and the

’

, ,

everlasting punishment with which their crimes were repaid

“ ”
the entire fiction o f the devil and his angels yo u have
there in an anonymous book anterior to Christ and long ,

anterior t o the Gospels and the N ew Testament in general ,

including the Apocalypse which still retains as do t h e Go s pels

, , ,

some o fthe lurid imagery o fE n och the fanatic .

Yo u n o w kno w where to look for my Shemitic cradle I .

a m that AZ AZ YE L Born and bred during the agitations and

.

excitement immediately antecedent t o the advent of Jesus I ,

passe d into the Je wish mind of the age in which he taught ,

and s o through his Jewish disciples and biographers who

, ,

rep orted not his true image but an i m age of h im which in a

, ,

m easure bore deep hues from their o wn apocalyptic p r ep o s

sessions I make my appearance in the language o fhim whose
,

whole life was love tenderness and sy m pathy as if he had

, ,

adopted the i d eas as well as the diction o fthe infernal regions .

Moreover the boo k o fE noch has two different demonologies

,

o n e in the first part

( vi —xvi
) the other in the third (
,
l v i
l xviii )
. There the chief of the demons is Az a z yel ; here that
honour belongs to S a mya z a .

And here I might b e excused were I to confess myself no

l ittle puzzled I cannot be both Az az yel and S amyaz a : which
.

am I ? Am I either ? Am I not rather a figment begotten o f

human conceits dec eits and legends ?
,

Yo u Obj ec t to the term legend Yet there Is n o t a word .

in the O ld Testament history which in the slightest m akes

“ ”
allusion to the fall o fthe an gels and whi ch can in any way ,

encourage the fancy that the love o f the sons o f God for the
 16 MY TH S OF THE J E W IS H CABBA L A .

M UD S These a re a huge and heterogeneous m as s of theologi

.
e

cal an d social decisions m ade by Jewish doctors o r rabbis o f

eminence in an atte m pt to adapt the Old law c alled t h e l aw ,

o fMoses to the c hanged condition of the Jewish peopl e after

,

the capti vi ty in Babylon the w ars o f t h e Maccabees the , ,

pa g anizin g influenc e o f the Hero d s an d the conquest and ,

destruction o f Jerusal e m bv the R o m ans en d ing in t h e dis ,

per s i e n o ft he n ation in w ant slavery c onte mpt and w o e over , , ,

a
the civilized w orl d Thi s series o f t r ialsj e n t ailin g general
.

ruin tended to thro w over the Je wish character a depth of

.

g lo o m w hi c h w as disturbed rather than relieved by Messianic

exp ectations Betw een the lurid d re am s of the latter an d
.

the dark an d bitter experien c es of the for m er the natio n al ,

m ind driven to and fro by hope and fear readily yielded to

, ,

the O riental fan c ies w hich see m ed to explain the stern con
fl i c t bV the rec o gnition of a bad principle as w ell as a good .

one . Indeed sinc e the at m o s ph ere in w hi ch t hey lived c o n

,

s t an t l gre w darker and d rker I s oon obtained t h e a scendan c y

y a ,

in their thou g hts and affe ct ion s Hen c e v o u m ay find in the .

Tal m udic lite ra ture a sub s tantial and ram ifie d de m onolog y .

Th at literature considered as an a c cepted tradition t o which the

,

Je w s attached the highes t value bears the na m e o fC abbal a , ,

whi ch signifies at on c e a transmit t ed and a secret doctrine .

Here you have not only a co mplete d ualis m but a develope d ,

demonology c ombined as ever with such black arts as the

, , ,

times w ere fitted to engender The C a bbal ists fill all the .

sp a c es o fcreation w ith goo d and ba d s pirits divide the m int o ,

distinct orders place chiefs over them d istinguish t h e orders

, ,

a n d their c hie f s by in dividual n am es an d allo t to the m each ,

his o w n office The e v il spirits are c all ed S at an im Shedim

.
, ,

S o i rim & c ,
As to t h eir origi n the Opinion o fthe Cabbalists
.
,

vary S o m e hold tha t God created them o n the F riday even

.

ing just b efore the en d o f the w eek o f c reation but as the

, , ,

S abbath approached he was unable to c omplete his w ork ,

.

O n this account they coul d not attai n to the perfection o f

t h e p ure spirit s or be clothed w ith a b ody like th at of m e n
,
.
 F OUR FE MA LE D E V IL IN G S IN THE CABB A L A .

A c cording to others God created an angeling by na m e Lilith

, , ,

by w ho m Adam had nu m berless bad sp i ri ts O t her m ale .

and fe m ale de m ons w ere created b esides those which fell

aft er the creation The principal m ale devil is Sam ael who
.
,

seduced E ve c ontinuall y leads hu m an beings into evil and

,

is indeed Satan o r m yself who p erfor ming the function

, , ,

as c ribed to m e in the book of Job keeps the privy council ,

o fheaven informed o f the m isdeeds o f m e n Then there is .

M elach Ham mare t h who exe c utes t h e verdicts o fdeath pro

,

n o u n c e d o n high Several Cabbalists na m e him also Azazel

.
,

the s c apegoat m oreover A d am Belial in contrast with Adam , ,

Gad m on o r the typal m an 5 As m odeus t o o w ho m we have

, , ,

seen in the book o fTobit ( iii 8 ) 3 moreover Be d arg o n only .

, ,

a span long and on that accoun t p rovided with fifty heads

,

and S ixty four eyes he bears i m printed on his body as S ign i

-

, ,

fi can t sy m bols all the letters of t h e He bi e w alphabet except

, ,

M an d T w hich deno te death According to t h e Cabbalistic

,
.

doctrine God c reated four female devilings L ilith w h o

, , ,

under t h e na m e of Ev e appeared in being with A d a m who , , ,

ho wever separated fro m h e r o n ac c oun t of her ba d te mper 5

,

w here upon he m arried the real E ve who had been for m ed ,

o u t o f o n e of his ribs Lil i t h w o n S am a el s affectio n and

.
’

becam e his w ife The two lived unhapp ily t oge t her fo r she
.
,

was alw ays grum bling and nagging Th e se c ond w as N aam ah .

the w ife o f a dev il by na m e S h e m e r o n O f this m arriage .

As m odeus was born The third bore t h e name o fM ashkit h

.
,

o f a lively te m pera m ent the Opposi t e o fL ilit h and in con

, ,

sequen c e so m e what often at cross purposes w ith her L il ith .

held s way over 4 8 0 troops of devils M ashk it h over 4 7 8 The , .

fourth deviling by na m e l gg er e t h appears less frequently

, , .

A c c ording to R abbi Solo m on Luria has an ugly trick o frush ,

ing out of hell every Wednesday and F riday night to infest

hu m an d w elling pla c es w ith her 1 8 0 0 evil S pirits m aking t he
-

tim e perilous as well as hideous The num ber of evil spiri t s .

is i n c al c ulable They swar m around every hu m an being ; a

.

t housand o n his right hand ten t housand on his left Their

, .
118 NU MB ER N A TURE A ND M O V E M EN T
, or DE V IL S .

abode is a dark region under the moon Their b odies formed .

,

in the lo west p arts o f the earth are of w ater fire and air , ,
.

They are divided into armies each having a c o mm ander , ,

whos e orders they are b ound to obey E vil spirits pass in .

a mo m ent from o n e end o f the world t o another and like , ,

angels know beforehand what is to come to p ass They enj oy

, .

their meat and drink and propagate their species after t he

,

m anner of men .

S ecret doctrines at first existing among the Jews alone

,

orally and com municated to none but the initiate d came in

, ,

time t o b e c onsigned to w riting and the tenden c y t o a sys ,

t e m a t ic form called forth by the prevailing ph il osophy o f

,

Aristotle took hold o f the m asters o f the Cabbala and led

, ,

them to throw their conception into a certain order The .

thirst for c oncealed wisdo m led men to the fo u ntains o f the

C abbala and after Aris t o t l e is m had run its race and students
, ,

b egan to turn to Ale x an d rin is m these found their o wn ideas

,

in a Platonic Pythagorean for m and prese n ted a cloud o f ,

mysteries t o the hu m an mind Hence arose the black arts o f

.

astrology and alche my w hich in ti m e gained the advocacy

,

of su c h learned m en as Bonaventura Thomas Aquinas R ay , ,

mund L ulli us Pic o della M i ran d u la John R euchlin 85 0 As

, , , .

secret doctrines and magic are co m monly yoke fello ws the -

Cabbala set it forth as an axiom that there is the closest con ,

n ec t io n b etween this world and the u pper and lower regions ,

and that consequently the Cabbalistic adept h ad a command

ing influence in heaven and hell which gave him not only ,

general wisdo m and p ower but special control over witches

,

and wi tchcraft Indeed with the aid o f the Cabbala the

.
, ,

magician o fthe middle ages could n o t only keep me in order ,

but augment all kind of earthly goo d A conviction t o this .

effect str u ck deep roots into the heart o f t he peop l e Henc e .

grew up and prevailed a host of falsities which beset and ,

worried poor m ortals for centuries such as belief in Satan in , ,

witches and their com m erce w it h devils Satani c conj urations , ,

magical covenants o ffriendship and enmity 5 wh ile by a reci

120 THE T E A CH IN G S OF THE N EW T E S TAM EN T .

reference to those O riental fictions which yo u know to have

infested Palestine and in a m easure other countries w here the
,

Gospel had b een i n tro duced he uses language so nicely c h a ,

r a c t e r is t i c of the m and thei r esp ousers as t o c o m prehend not ,

the m o nl y but their spirit a n d ai m w herever and w henever

, ,

manifested And thus de m onology o fall kinds is conde m ned

.

not only that of Paul s day s w hi c h though substantial and

’

, ,

m ultifor m w as s c arcely more than a shado w of w hat wa s to

,

come and w hat did co m e b efore society had fairly got o ut of

, ,

the middle ages .

CHAPT ER IV .
.

T HE NE W TES T A M ENT .

I
S EC T ON I .

J UD E T HE A P O CALY P S E L
T HE E P I S T E OF P E TE R T HE E P I S T E S L OF P AU L
T HE E P IS T EL OF J AM E S ; THE B OOK OF A C TS .

B EF O RE I open the venerated pages of the N e w Testa m ent ,

I wish to take a look at myself as I am described by ec c lesias

ti c al au t horities .

Here is o n e pict ure It is the character given o f me by a

.

F rench p astor of high character and varied learning— more

o ver ,
—
holding th e t rue faith according to what l Well I l
.
,

hardly know what but certainly according to hi mself Thus .

he speaks in the brief an d modest Preface he has prefixed to

his w ork
The author has judged it necessary in a seas on o fgeneral ,

doubt and disbelief to put h is readers into the right position

,

in regard to the essential points o f faith by placing himse lf ,

D icti on n air e B ibl ique P op ul air e p ar Au gu st e M eyla n , Pas t eu r

, d an s

l Egli s e l ibre d u C a n t o n d e Vau d 1 v ol 8 m

’
1 8 69 . . .
 T HE DE V IL IS M O R THE P O P UL A R CH U RCH ES 121

under the authority Of the Word of God Setting out with .

the prin c iple that all the books of the Bible are inspired and
legiti m ately form part o f the Sacred Canon he has endea ,

v o ur e d to furnish varied infor m ation dra w n fro m good sourc e s , ,

and c al c ulated to condu ce to a right understanding of the

”
S cripture .

What then does Pa s tor Meylan say of m e ? I S hall repro

Th e D evil The D e m oniacs
“ “ ” ”
d uce w hat he says o n an d

as literally as I c an .

“
D evil ( ca ln mn ia z o r Matt iv
‘
t h e chief of the rebel ,
. .

angels He is also called S a t a n ( a Hebre w wo rd S ignifying

.

adversary) d emo n g r ea t d r a g o n o ld serp en t B eelz ebab (Apoc

, , , ,
.

xii 9 xx 2 5 L uke viii 2 9 5 Matt xii

.
, . At an un . .

kno w n epo ch God c reated millions of a ngels endued w ith the

liberty o f se w i ng h im or of revolting against him O ne of
’

the m elevated in dignity and very po w erful took the la t ter

, ,

step He dre w into his revol t other angels w ho beca me also

.
,

his m inis t ers and wh o are called d emo n s e vil sp ir its un clea n
, , ,

sp i r i ts p r in c es ofd a r kn es s & c
, ( John viii 4 4 5 Jude 6 5 Mark ,
. .

ix 3 4 5 Luke viii 2 5 Mark v i 7 5 E ph V I

. The devil
. . . .
,

wishing to usurp the thr one of Go d founded a kingdo m whi c h ,

he sought to aggrandize by trickery and lies He succeeded .

by leading t h e first m an into S in who thereupon sub m itted to ,

his deadly e mpire He c auses him self t o be w orshiped in the .

pagan idols and e x eit e s bad p assions in human souls 5 he has

,

even succeeded in takin g possess i on of certain persons and in

t o r m enting them ( Matt xii 2 4 5 Gen iii 2 5 2 Cor xi 3 5 . . . . . .

Acts xxvi 1 8 5 L ev xvii 7 5 PS cvi 3 7 5 1 C o r x 2 0 5 Apo c

. . . . . . . .

ix 2 0 5 L uke xiii 1 6 xxii 3 3 1 5 Jo b ii 7 5 Mark x v i

. .
,
.
,
. .

After failin g in his efforts against Jesus C hr ist c o m e t o br u is e ,

his hea d he c easelessly atta cks his di s c iples ; roa m s around them
,

like a roaring lion and even perfor m s m ira c les in order to seduc e
,

the m ( Matt iv 1 5 Gen iii 1 5 5 1 P et v 8 2 Thess ii

. . . . . . . .

He still preserves relations with the angels that re m ain faithful ,

and also struggles against them ( Job i 6 5 1 K ings xxii 1 9 2 2 5 — . .

Z ach iii 1 5 Jude 9 5 Apoc x ii

. . Ho w ever the de m ons . .
,
122 IS A H E TER OGENE O U S MA S S OE P AGA N FAB L E 5

tremble before Go d dread the p ower o fJesus Christ and t he ,

fate which awaits them ( James ii 1 9 5 Mark i 2 4 v 7 . .

,
.

L uke viii The devil will b e bound and imprisoned i n

.

the abyss for a thousand years 5 after that he will be let lo ose
and will seduce men afresh (Ap oc x x 1 F inally he w ill . .
,

b e conde m ned with all t he demons t o e ternal torments in

, ,

hell ( Matt x x v 4 1 5 Ju d e 6 5 Apo c xx

. The doctrine
. . .

Of Scripture to uching the rebel angels contains great mysterie s

and m any Obscurities for the narrow m ind o f man But i t .

would be S O much the greater madness to c ontest it s truth see ,

ing that w e are profoundly ignorant as t o all that concerns the

world of S pirits and S ince revelation is o ur only ligh t in this
,

d omain .

This then is the S atan o fProtes t ant or thodoxy As such

, ,
.

it would I b elieve be received by most of the Protestant

, ,

o rthodox churches o f the world D o I o wn it as a true por .

trait o fm yself C ertainly not 5 its features are too imaginary

?
,

its hues to o dark its aspect too horrible its bearing o n God
i
, ,

too u n j u s t an d its bearing on man too baneful The better

,
.

s ide o fhu m an nature is totally absent from t h e por t rait and ,

in consequence i t is a caricature N one but s uch priests and .

t yrants as have ceased to be men can be S O black as is the ,

monster here described as the devil .

The authority I have j ust cited is ve ry hard up on paganism ,

yet every feat ure that enters into his dev il you have already
had set before yo u as presented in some form Of paganism o r
a nother o r if not in paganis m
,
yet in debased and d istorted ,

religionis m s Specially have yo u j ust heard me particularize

.

as a diseased broo d o f Je wis h speculation the mo st revoltin g

,

features of this orthodox devil R evie w what I have sai d and .

,

the truth Of m y statement will arise in your mind in clear light

a n d full assurance .

C onsequently the whole is fable and not fact ; fig m en t s o f

fancy dreams o f the imagination ra ther than Biblical reve
, ,

l at i o n s .

Here I mi ght stop and consider these views confuted by ,

124 MY S TER Y N O T U N IN TEL L i e i RL E BU T UNRE V E ALED .

is a spark of light in all your de m onology ? And where do e s -

the lig ht end a n d the darkness begin ? Yo u kno w not “

,
”

do you say ? Truly do you S peak for with you a mystery is ,

eithe r so m ething dark or so m ething unintelligible or so m e

, ,

—
thing unreasonable so m e t hin g therefore which has no m ean
ing or Of whi c h the meaning is absurd not as the word i s
,
— ,

used in the N ew Testa m ent so m ething onc e hidden o r n u ,

kno wn but now under C hrist dis c losed t o enlighten direct

, ,

“
and so save t h e inte lligent w orld So m u c h for m ystery .

N ow let o ur or thodox lexi c og rapher say w hat Obscurities

are in this matter 5 h o w the Obscurity di fi e rs from the m ystery 5
and w hy h a v m g obscurities to o f
,
fer no less than m ysteries ,

n ay “
, g r e a t mysteries and “
m a n y
”
obs c u rities — w h y he ,
”

underto ok to handle the subj e c t at all mu c h less to insert the ,

article in a volu m e w hose professed obj ect i s t o illustrate the

Bible and Bibli c al verities Illustrate ! What is to illustrate .

( lux L at
,
i n for l i g )
h t b ut to t h r o w li g h t o n a s u b
j e c t ? Well ,

then here is a topic needing light S O great a re its m ysteries

, , ,

s o many its Obscurities What light is given ? N one other

.

but that w hich ( if any ) lies in their o wn inherent quality of

b eing mysteries and Obscurities : and w hat is this but t o leave
the unknown unkno wn and to leave the obscure obsc ure ? ,

Well it would be m ore candid to do so without pretending to

,

explain the inexplicable and to clear up the obscure Th us .

,

rushing into the regions of darkness t h e au t hor first uses hard ,

words and then doubles his difficulty Yo u m ust he as good .

,

as says b e a m ad man to contest wha t I say for we ( hi mself

, ,
’

a n d others are profo un dly ignorant t ou c hing whatever c o n

) ”
cerns the w orld of spirits If s o w h y atte m pt to tea c h any
.
,

thing about the subj ect ? Profoundly ignorant as he is he ,

w ould have acted less fo olishly had he not uttered a w ord .

But are w e so ignorant by nature ? When Jes us said Go d ,

is S piri t (John iv .
”
and added no explanation he i mplici t ly
.
,

taught first that none w as needed and that even an ordinary

, , ,

“
w o m an o fSamaria understood what he meant Yes but revela .
,

tion is our Only torch in this do main N ot hi s only torch 5 fo r .

”
 THE B IB L E A H ETERO G E N E OU S UN i T . 1 25

whatever light he h as c o m es pri m arily fro m pagan s our c e s 5

a n d after all a torch s h ed s light n o t d arkness 5 and the light ,

w hich t h e torch o f S c ripture S heds does not surely consist

”
in “
great m ysteries and m any Obscuriti e s 5 o r if it does
‘

, ,

then w here m ystery and Obs curity begin there revelatio n , ,

w hich m e ans un v eiling o fnecessity e nds ,

.

Ho w ever this respe ctable pastor asserts that S c ripture

,

teac h es the vie w s whi c h h e expou n ds and as he gives h is ,

re feren c es t o cer t ain passages where his do c trine is tau ght ,

I a m in c ourtesy bo un d to turn to hi s authorities And here .

at the first glan c e I di s cover a hu ge mistake He thro w s toge .

ther as suppor ting his syste m passages taken fro m many parts
, ,

o f the Bible beginning w ith Genesi s and ter m inatin g w ith

,

the Apocalyps 5 as if the Bible were o n e book whereas it

e -

c onsist s o fm a ny books 5 as if it w ere from o n e pen whereas ,

i t w a s w r itten by m any pens 5 as if it were produced in o n e

—
a e whereas it took at least a thousand years to co m e into
g ,

e xi s tence 5 as if m oreover it Off

,
ered o n e sole for m o freligio n
, ,

w hereas it O f ers o n e religion under m any for m s 5 and as if i t

f
c a m e from the m ind o f Go d as Miner v a is said to have leaped ,

fro m the head o fJupiter in rebound to the sledge h a mm er -

b lo w fro m t h e hand of Vul c an w h ereas no less an authority ,

t han Jesus dec l ares an d avo w s a fulfilme n t that i s a develop ,

m ent a gradual unfoldin g and expansi on o freligious light as

,

m en s minds are able to bear i t ( Mark i 1 5 5 Matt By

’
. .

t h u s heaping te xts together without reference t o their contexts

, ,

o n any given point 5 w hile thus sele c ting here and there
-

an
y and every w here w ords w hi c h se e
,
m to w itness for c ertai n

preco n ceived ideas or elaborated syste m s the author of the ,

D i c tio n ary m ay prove or even disprove al m ost everything h e

, ,

pleases and can produ c e nothing better than an in c o n gru ous

,

a n d uncoales c ing m e dley o r c ollection of fos s il m i s c ellanies .

This is n o t an u n apt description o f what he has a chieve d .

His artic le des c riptive o f myself des c ribes nothing in God s ’

world o f real ities fo r the heterogeneo u sness of his essay is

,
1 26 PA S TO R i rEr L AN S
’
S C R IP TUR AL P RO O F S
s uch as to exclu de all reality Horace conde m ns a painter w h o.
,

dr a wing the figure of a w o m an do w n to th e w aist comple t es his ,

p ortrait by ending with the tail of a fish M Meylan thro w s . .

i nto what he calls a likeness of m e featur es and li m b s taken ,

fro m all m anner of m ythological m onsters j oined and u nit ed ,

together into the m ost disparate and un s ightly of figm en t s by

a certain c ement borro w ed fro m an assu m ed Bibli c al a u t h o r i t v .

I cas t my eye up on his state m ents in re p ect of the s cri p s

tural passag es by w hich the lexicographer supports the m .

What do I fin d ? F or the propositions whi c h u nderlie his

‘

entire system of de m onolog y he gives no scriptur al auth ority

“
w hatever .Thus he calls me the chief or head of the reb e l
”
a ngels ,
and does so w ithout any scrip t ural reference Then .

h e makes a series o f state m ent s equally w ithout s criptural

'

reference These are : 1 Go d c reated mil lions o f an g el s 5 2

.
,
,
,

this he did at an un k no wn epoch 5 3 these angels w ere e u ,

d o w ed w ith liberty to serve or to revolt again s t him 5 4 one ,

O f the m t o ok the latter p art 5 he w as eleva t ed in digni t y

'
,

a n d very p o w erful 5 6 he dre w into hi s revolt other angels 5

,

7 those angels be c a m e his m inisters

,
Here are seven propo .

s i t i o n s for which no s c riptural attestation is assigned O f course .

,

as none is given none can b e given And yet you are re

,
.

quired to a d mit the whole fabri c though it contai ns great

“
,
”
m ysteries and many Ob scurities on the authority of Scrip ,

ture Here then is an ad m ission that the authority Of S c rip

.
, ,

ture is necessary in the case But these seven proposi tions .

have no scriptural authority It follo w s that they are desti .

tute of the needful att estation Consequently they are n ot .

proved 5 and as not proved are to the B iblical student un t rue

, ,

— as much a vain thing a nothing as the pagan idols

, ,
.

But these propo sitions are the foundation o f the edifice .

The e di fice then has no fo un dation B uilt upon the pagan .

“ ”
fable o f the fall en angel s the alleged S atanis m i s no s c rip
,

tural doctrine at all A kingdom without a ki ng is no kin g

.

d om so a demonology without m e is a mere crea t ure of the

128 WHAT D OE S THE NE W TE S TAM EN T TE ACH AS To S ATA N IS M ?
.

the w in Mark 4 in L uke 6 in John 1 5 in the Apoca

6, , ,

lyp s e 6 5 and in the book o fActs 1 Fro m the 3 3 in the .

N ew Testam ent so m e reduc tions will have t o b e made in c o n

sequ en ce o freference t o the same passage being repeated .

O ut o f the 3 3 N e w Testa m ent references 3 are in Jude ,

an d 6 in the book of R e v elation i n all 9 taken from th e least

,

historically reliable pages in the later S c riptures Properly .

only t wo references are made t o Jude fo r verse 6 is addu ced ,

t wice N o w Ju d e is n o Scripture at all 5 that is i t is unca

.
,

n o n i c al .These t w o references then g o for nothing This is .

decided before you have lo oked at them But I will set them .

before your eyes in full Verse 6 . The angels which ke p t

n o t their first estate but left their o wn habitation he ( the
, ,

L ord ) hath reserved in everlasting chains under d arkness

“
unto the j udg m en t o f the great day Ver 9 Michael . .

the ar c hangel when contending wi t h the devil disputed about

, ,
”
the body o fMoses .

The fo rm er o fthese passages is si m ply borro wed from fables ,

the so u rce and nature of which I have already explaine d .

Th e latter is adduced to prove this state m ent : “

The d evil
still preserves relations with the angels that re m ained fai t hful ,

and struggles against the m AS to the relations which I

.

still preserve with Michael I take leave t o say that the tex t
,

refers t o a time sunk i n the d ark boso m o f 1 8 0 0 years A .

”
curious proof indeed o fwhat my relations are s ti ll ! Then
as t o my struggling aga ins t Michael I b eg you t o obser v e , ,

the text declares that it is Michael that struggles against m e .

This looks very m uch like trifling with evi d ence Wha t a .

cause m ust that be w hich n eeds and e mploys means s o

unw or t h y o f the i mportance o f the theme the e v erlasting ,

des tinies w hich it involves and the t rue d ignity Of S c rip t ure
,

“
Strange that what m en call a sacred book should n o w in ,

the year o fgrace 1 8 7 1 be disfigured and desecrated by fo r

, ,

e ri es so palpable ! Will the men who are n o w sitting as

g
ecclesiastical revisers o f the Authorized E nglish Version ha v e
honesty and c ourag e enough t o remove this blot fro m the -
 B IS H O P M A R S H D i s AL L o w s THE P IS TL E
E or J UD E,

Bible ? U ndoubte dl y they will do so m ething to th at e ffe c t

if they are possessed o f the spiri t of D r Marsh for m erly .
,

Bishop o fPet erborough who i n hi s chapter on t h e E pis t le

,

o fJude in his E ngli sh translation of Professor M i ch a el is s

” ’

”
lea rned Introduction to the N e w T estament ( V o l IV
“
. .

p. m akes t h e follo wing re m ark bearin g o n this testi m ony

“
to m y p e rs o n al existence : I cannot acknowledge that this
Epistle is canonical And I have really so me doubts whether
.

i t be not even a forgery made in the name of Jude by some

, ,

person w h o borro w ed the chief p art of his m aterials fro m t h e

Se c ond Epistle of St Peter and added some few of hi s o wn
.
,
”
.

And if w e are d irected in o u r j udg m ent by the con t en ts of

t h e E pistle w e shall have still no indu c e m ent to b elieve that
,
”
it is a sa cred and divi ne w ork “
B u t it is much more
.

d iffi cult to vi n di c ate the ninth verse in whi c h t h e archangel ,

Michael is said to have disputed with t h e devil about the

body o fMoses The whole his t ory of t his dis pute which has
.
,

t h e ap pearance of a Jewish fable is not very easy at present t o

,

dis c over because t h e book from which it is supp osed t o have

,

been t aken by the author of o ur E pis t le is no longer ex t ant

but I will here put together such scattered accounts o fit as I
have been able to collect O rigen found in a Jewish Greek
.

‘
book call e d The Assump t ion o f Moses which was extan t
, ,
’

in his time though it is n o w lost t hi s ve ry story related con

, ,

c er n ing the dispu t e of the ar c han el Mi c hae l with t h e devil

g
about the body of Moses And from a c omparison of the.

relation in this book wi th S t Jude s quo t ation he was tho

.
’

roughly persuaded that it w as the book fro m which St Jude .

quoted T hi s he as serts without the least hesitation an d

.

in c onsequen c e of t h s p ersuasion he him self has quoted the

i

‘
Assumption of Moses as a w ork of authority in proof of
’

the temptation o f Adam and Ev e by the devil But as he .

h as quoted it m erely for thi s purpose he h as given us o nl y an ,

imperfect ac c ount of what t hi s book c ontai ned relative to the

“

dispute abo ut t h e body of Moses O ne circum stan c e h o w .

,

ever he has m entioned whi ch is not found in t h e Epistle of

, ,

K
13 0 WH OS E O R IG IN Is F AB LE .

St Jude namely that Michael repro ached the devil with

.
, ,

having possessed the serpent which seduced Eve In what .

m an ner this circumstance is connected wit h t h e dispute about

the body o fMoses w ill appear from the following c onsidera
tion The Jews imagined that the person o f Moses was s o
.

holy that Go d could find n o reason fo r permitting him t o die

'

a n d that nothing but the sin committed by Adam an d E ve in

Pa ra dise which brought death in to the world was the c ause

, ,

why Moses did n o t live fo r e ver The same notions they .

—
entertained o f some other very holy persons fo r instance o f ,

Isai who they say was delivered t o the ange l o fdeath merely
, , ,

o n a ccount o fthe sins o fo u r first parents tho u gh he himself ,

d i d n o t deserve t o die N o w in the dispute between Michael

.

a n d the devil t h e devil was the acc u ser and demanded the death
,

o fMoses Michael therefore replied t o him that he himself

.
,

was the cause Of that sin which alone could occasion the death
o fMoses Ho w very little such notions as these agree either
.

’
with the Christian theology o r with Moses o wn writings it is , ,
”
unnecessary fo r me t o declare .

Ho w far in irreverence those Old fabulists proceeded and ,

h o w little any word o f theirs touching me deserves credence ,

may be learnt fro m a n other version o f this forgery wh ich

Bishop M ars h reports in the same connection as found by him
”
in another Jewish figment the Ph et irah Moshe The sub
, .

stance Oft he story related in this book as far as concerns t h e ,

present inquiry is as follows Moses requests o fGo d under

,
.
,

v a rious pretences either that h e may n o t die at all o r at least

, ,

that h e m ay n o t die before he comes into Palestine This .

r equest he m akes in s o forward and petulant a manner as is ,

h ighly unbecoming n o t only a great prophet but even any ,

man Go d argues o n the contrary with great patience an d

.
, ,

forbearance and replies t o what Moses had allege d t o the merit

,

o fhis o wn good works F urther it is Go d wh o says t o Moses

.
,

that he must die o n account o f the s in Of Adam ; t o which

Moses answers that he ought t o be excepted because he was
,

superio r in merit t o Adam Abraham Isaac &c In the mean , , ,

.
13 2 Ho w MYTH S GROW UP .

give thee m y soul He affrigh t t h e devil in such a mann er

’
s
.

that he im media t ely re tu rns The de v il then ret u rns to Go d .

and re l a t es w hat had passed and re c eives an order to go a

-

second time Th e devil ans w ers that h e w oul d g o every where

.

Go d co m m anded him e v en into hell and into fire but not to

, ,

Moses Thi s remonstrance ho w ever is o fno avail and he is

.
, , ,

obliged to go back again But Moses who sees him c omin g .

,

w ith a drawn sword m eets hi m w ith hi s mi r a c ulous rod and

, ,

gives him so severe a blo w with it that the devil is glad to ,

es c ape L astly Go d himself c o m es 5 and Moses havin g then

.
, ,

n o further hopes requests o nl y that his soul may not be taken

,

o u t of his bo dy by the devil This request is granted him . .

Z in ghi e l Gabriel and Michael th en lay hi m on a bed 5 and

,

the soul of Moses beg ins to dispute with God and obj ects to ,

its being taken o ut o fa body w hich was s o pur e and holy that
no fiy dared s e t tle on it But God kis s es Moses and w ith a .
,

k iss extrac t s his soul fro m his body Up on this Go d utte r s .

a heavy la m entation 5 and thus the story in the Ph etir ah

Moshe ends w ithout any m ention Of a dis pute about the burial
,

o f Moses s body
’
F rom the a c count which h as b een
.
”

given it app ears that w e have very little reason for pla c in g
,

the Epistle OfSt Jude a m ong the sa c red writings

. .

The parti c ul ars that I have bo rro w ed from the B ishop o f

Peterborough m ay s erve the purpose Ofaiding you my atten ,

tive listene r to understand h o w religious m v t h s gro w up and

, ,

h o w it is that agree ing in substance they Often in the c as e of

, ,

each pair or m ore Of versions di ffer in particula rs 5 and this

kno wledge is the m ore i mp or tant to you as you can har dl y ,

u n derstand h o w I so soon and so eas il v p a s sed o ut of a dark

shado w of fan c y into a pers on al m onster u nless yo u are ac ,
'
u a in t e d w ith t h e social and religious 7 7z ed t a which contributed
’
q .

to t h e trans m utation .

Six referen c es are m ade to the Ap o ca lyp s e as if the Ap o ca ,

lyp s e w ere a hi story and not a s e ries of vi s ions and pict ur e s

, ,

and as if the history c ontained a fore c ast of t h e history o fthe

Ch ur c h an d the world 5 whereas it expressl y declares that it
 THE A P O C A L YP S E A V IS ION OP THE I MM ED IA TE FU TUR E . 13 3

pertains t o things then s hor t ly t o come to pass the w hole ,

horizon of w hi ch is bounde d by the reign of t h e b eas t that is ,

the e mperor Nero ( A D 5 4 . .

The references taken in their natural order stand thus

, ,

.
,
.
—
ix 2 0 xii 7 xii 9 xx 1 9 xx 2 xx 1 0
,
.
, .
,
.
,
. .

The thesis w hi c h ix 2 0 is brought to sustain is He ( the .

,

devil) c auses him self to be w orshiped under the veil of idols ,

a n d excites bad passions in m en s souls ; and he has even ’

succeeded in corp orally seizing certain persons and in torm ent

”
ing them .

As to the w orship Of m yself under the veil of idols it is ,

n o w known an d acknowl edged by all co m petent j udges

. tha t ,

the alleged fact is but a supposition a baseless theory held

‘

before and after th e introdu c tion of Christiani t y The ig n o .

rance here display ed by the author argues ill for his sufh
c ie n c
y for the du t y he h a s taken o n hi m self N O longer c an .

the c alum ny she w its face in cultivated circles for one Of the ,

deductions Of the hi story and the philosophy o fre li gion m ade

d uring the last hun dred years on the m ost s olid basis is thi s , ,

nam ely that the divinities o f p aganis m were not p oetical o r

,

m y t hologi c al fictions but the leas t im perfe c t v ie w s of God t hat

,

nations in their in fancy co ul d attain and hold 5 and if God

hi mse lf co m passionately shut his eyes in presence Ofthis ig n o
rance (A c ts xvii 2 2 s e q ) it ill b e c o m es Christian di vine s
.
, , ,

whose c on c eption of God is in these latter ag es fu l t o say the

l
,

least of incongruities to throw the ir shortsightedness in the

, ,

teeth o fRo m ans and Greeks the authors or the trans mitters ,

Of Western cul ture F o r what c oncerns m e in this m atter I

.
,

w ell kno w whateve r asp ersions bigotry may cast on m e o r

,

my worshipers that the Gentiles in their di vine s ervices never

-

m eant to adore me but to adore the o nl y living and true,

Go d . They mostly m issed their m ark I t is true ; but even ,

i n failing they learnt to shoot and so in tim e w ere brought ,

over t o w orship the Go d and F ather o fthe Lord Jesus Christ .

Turning now t o the passage o fS cripture in Apocalypse i x 2 0 ,

I fin d it in n o way relates to what I do o r did but what , ,

13 4 THE AP O CA L Y P TIC S C ENE S N OT RE AL ITIE S ,
BUT S YMB OL S .

others did who were given t o the worshi p o fd evils and idol s
o f gold and sil ver and brass and stone and o f woo d whi ch
, , ,
”
neither can see n o r hear n o r w alk,
Why wh at have w e , .
,

here but the derogat o ry and insulting hypothesis I have j ust

laid bare ? P ossibly the seer Of the Apocalyp se believed thi s
falsity so thi c k and angr y w as the cloud that lay o n the
,

Judeo Chris tian mind o f the early part o f the first century
-
.

N one the less is thi s theory n o w explo d ed In deed w ho i n .

,

these days can believe that in general the w orshi per s o fJupiter ,

Juno Mars and others were consciously a w are in t he hour

, , ,

o f their adoration that the obj ects they revered were r eally
,

n o t gods but devil s

,
Such a consciousness wo ul d have ex t in
u is h e d their adoration an d lifted the worshipers from their
g ,

knees to stand erec t in the o ffended dignity Of intelligent and

moral b eings V il e men will indeed w orship what is vile ;
.

but of o l d such depravity was as exceptional as it is to day -

.

—
The next passage (xii 7 9 ) run s thus And there w a s .

war in heaven : Michael and hi s angels fought against the

dragon and the dragon fought and his angels 5 and prevailed
,

not 5 neither wa s their place found any more in heaven 5 and

the great dragon w as cast out that Old serpent called the , ,

devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world 5 h e was

,

cast out into the earth and his angels w ere c ast o ut with ,

There is here o n e departure from the old legend o fthe war

and ej ection o f the angels They are ordinarily hurle d dow n .

to hell 5 here ho w ever they fall no lower than the earth The
, ,
.

diversity might j ustify a doubt whether they fell at all 5 in

other words whether w e have here to d o with fac t or fancy
,
.

The s uspicion thus raised w ill become a conviction if y o u

study thi s little understood composition which consis t s after
-

, ,

a prelude and before an epilogue o f a series o f grand and ,

imposing pictures descriptiv e not o fwhat took place before

, ,

o r i m m edi ately after creation but what was be ing done and ,

acted then b efore the seer s eye s there o n earth in the great ’

, ,

c onflict which raged between pagan tyranny and persecution

13 6 N ER O THE AP O CA L YP TIC “
BE AS T .
"

na ming him expressly giving h im an opportunity of wreaking ,

his terrible ve n geance o n his su fferin g and indignant assailants .

N O it was more than their lives w ere w orth to call N ero

, ,

their diabolical persecutor N ero ; but they c ould denounc e ,

h im and denounce hi m so as to be unders t oo d by their m al

,

t r eated fello w believers w h o had the key to the imagery s e t

-

in m otion ; they c o uld and they did denounce t h e e m peror ,

w hose name in Hebre w letters makes up the number o fthe

“
beast v iz 6 6 6 as the great dragon that Ol d serp e nt called
, .
, , ,

the devil and S atan whi c h deceiveth the w hole world , .

Thus on c e more t h e h ouse that w as built o n the sand sinks

an d falls to ruin Very strange it is that an edifice so c o m
.

promising to God and so perni c ious to man should have ever

been erected on so p erishable a basis 5 but still more strange
that at this time o f day theologians and professors o f Chris
t ia n it y should b e foun d ignorant enough or enough diseased ,

in m ind to render what they consider systematic suppor t to a

,

w hole system of fable which being taken as a c onstitue n t o f

, ,

the gospel is daily and h ourly dragging the bark Of Peter

,

do w n beneath the surface and on to w ard the depths Of the

o c ean .

The apocalyptic tragedy is brought to a c lose in the remain

ing references t o the boo k of R evelation ; n amely xx 1 9 — ,
.
,

xx . 2 xx 1 0 The same thought that I have already ex

,
. .

pounded is continued and completed here What has been .

said o fthe earlier acts o fthe drama holds good o fthe las t act .

O nl y I must guard you my young friend against a possible , ,

mistake To all app earance the references just repeated are

.
,

three distinct au thorities and as such they wear an imposing ,

aspect at least to the uninitia t ed In reality t hey are but

,
.

on e — o n e text namely —
xx 1 1 0 in three forms This is
, , .
,
.

an ef fectual w ay of making a little do the w ork o fm u ch .

A m ore important fact is this that there is an appendix a t ,

the e n d o f the drama n ot unlike what is occ as ionally found ,

in the explanatory epilogues o fOld English p lays This ap .

 TIIE DR A M A END s W ITH “
No M O RE C U RS E .
”
7

p e n d ix describes a s the final triu m ph of t he kingdo m of God

,

and Christ so the final condition of the m oral universe O nly

, .

for a few w ords c a n I find roo m for what s c ar c ely ap p e r

tains t o my histo ry and yet seeing that it is its natu ral nay , ,

its inevitable sequel a n d per manent result I c annot feel alto

, ,

gether dis c onne c ted with it .

”
And I s aw ( the seer o f the Apocalypse is the speaker ,

xx i .

) A n d I saw a n e w hea v en and a n e w ear t h for the ,

fi rst heaven a n d the first earth w ere passed a w ay And I .

John s aw the holy c ity N ew Jerusale m co m ing do wn fro m , ,

Go d o ut o fheaven prepared as a bride adorned fo r her h us

,

band 5 and I heard a great voi c e out of heaven saying Behold , ,

the tabernacle Of God is with men and he shall d well with , -

them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be
, ,

their God And God shall w ipe a way all tears fro m their
.

eyes ; and there s h all be no more death neither sorrow nor , ,

crying n either shall t here be any m ore p ai n 5 fo r the former

‘

things are pas s ed away But there is a pure ri v er o fwater

.

Of life clear as crystal pro c eeding out o f the throne o fGod

, ,

and o f the L amb and o n ei t her side o fthe river the tree o f
,

life bearing fruits for the healing Of the nations and TH ERE
S H AL L B E N O M ORE C UR S E

N 0 more curse means n o more sin and no more d evil I

”
,
.

am unutterably happy at seein g mysel f thus extinguished by

N e w Testament authority The i d eal is delightful if its realiza .
,

tion is re m ote 5 but the certainty o fits fulfilment is guaranteed

by the great princ iples ai ms and tendencies Of the religion o f
,

Jesus ; fo r its paternal D eity c annot a c co mplish his d esigns

without delivering the human race from iniquity and super
s t it i o n These evils at an end my reign is over
.
,
.

I resume the S pecific consideration o fthe passages o fScrip

ture brought for w ard by M Me ylan L et u s see what he . .

adduces from the letter ascribed to the ap os tle P eter yet n o t ,

without grounds Of doubt .

Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as

, ,
13 8 THE A P OS TLE P E TER D OE S N OT P R OVE A P ER SON A L DE V IL .

a roaring lion w alketh about seeking whom he may devour ”

( 1 Pet v . .

This passage o ur authority takes literally Manifestly w hat .

,
~

ever the apostle intends he here e mploys a fig ure Were I , .

to walk about in the shape of an actu al lion seekin g my prey ,

I should find no m ort al so s ill y as to be caught by me I .

might terri fy 5 I co ul d not en t rap An d so the literal sense is .

untenable inasmuc h as it wo ul d rob me Of the very power

,

which the clerical t heory invests me w ith It is indeed .

little if at all better than an assum p tion that a particular

, ,
.

person is here intended Instead o fdevil understood as r e .

,

ferring to me the R ev Gilbert Wakefield a superior scholar

, .
,

and an e nl ightened divine has in his excellent translation Of ,

the N ew Testament “ ”
your slanderous adversary thus ex
, ,
”
pressing the t w o epithets your adversary the devil in a , ,

single phrase TO the same e ffect is the translation given by

.

”
the Im proved Version namely your adversary the false , , ,
”
accuser thus wisely regard ing the term 6 Baa /GOM Q as a de
,

scriptive and not a personal noun And b eyond a doubt this .

is what Peter meant O bviously he wrote the letter in order

.

to put the Jews o fthe dispersion in Asia Minor o n thei r

guard against a terrible persecution The letter is full o f .

allusions and advice to this c fi e ct R ead the whole and yo u .

,

“
will not fail to see that the apostle had no reference t o the
c hief o f the fallen angels but to some human foe wh o em ,
”

plo yed calumny as a means o f e n snarin g and destro ying his

victims .

Pastor Meylan in the same connection declares that I even

p erform miracles in order to seduce my victims If I perform .

miracles I do s o either with o r without the Almighty If

,
.

with the Almighty he performs the miracle n o t I wh o am

, , ,

but an instrument in his hand If without hi m then if I .

, ,

am n o t the Almighty I share his p ower and so sharing his

, ,

power take from hi m hi s almightiness In other words I .

,

d eth rone Go d which means that I am Go d rather than he

,
.
140 ER TULL IA N DE MA ND S B L IND B EL IEF
T .

I perfor m I perfor m for the purpose of sedu c i n g souls Take

, .

t h e whole then as a w hole and it c o m es t o this that Go d

, , , ,

through me sets the physical universe i n irretrievable con

fusion in order to co n fou n d and s tul tify th e m oral uni v erse
, .

After this nothing more needs be said to expose the awfu l

,

i m piety i n volved in the supern a tural o r rather preternatural , ,

agency ascribed to me And here yo u have an instance o f .

the way in which one falsity is Often intensified by anoth

Wh en miracles are ascribed to me and when by miracles is ,

meant an interruption o fthe laws Of nature then ensue the ,

fearful consequences I have j ust des cribed But such an in .

t e rr up t io n is the essence o fmir acle according to the common ,

view I am not going o u t of my path to correct theological errors

.

in general but I must caution you against the c ommon mis

,

conception Ofmiracle Miracle as us u ally understood is the

.
, ,

very impossibility that Tertullian conte m plated 5 for imp o s

sible is it for God to break his own laws This wo ul d be .

nothing short o fGod warring against God IV h at eV e r Jesus .

was or did that was he and that did he in co mple te unison

,

with the D ivine will which is the D ivine law ,

.

I have dealt with M M eylan s evide n c e from one apostle I

.
’
.

t urn to th at which he adduces fro m another F our references .

are made to the wri tings of t he ap o st le P a u l and fir st the words ,

in 2 Thessalonians ii 9 Tur n to the passage and you will be

. .
,

eas il y able t o verify my allegations The apostle speaks here .

( 1 — 9 ) o f some false interpretation o f the second coming o f

Christ by w hich members o f the chur c h at Thessalonica had

,

b een troubled and misled ( 1 C onsequently w e have to

do with not an everlasting truth but an error o f the day a
, , ,

misconception which the writer proceeds t o correct In order .

“
to do s o he d eclares that before Christ comes
,
the man o f ,
” “
sin,
the son Ofp erdition who even assumes the functions ,

o f Go d and is worshiped must be m anifested and not only , ,

“
m anifested but destroyed The manifestation o f this m ys
,
.

”
t e ry o f in iquity is for a time delayed When the delay .
 THE T RU E A N TICH R IS T . 14 1

c eases the wicked one will appear His co mi ng is Satani cal

,
.
,

b eing ac c o m panied w it h unreal po w er and signs and won , ,

”
ders .

Here is a clear description o f Antichris t Anti christ is .

I m per i al R o m e the g reat fo e an d assailant

”
,
he wh o opposeth ,

literally the opp on en t ) of the Gospel His p ersonali t y is pru .

“
d en t ly concealed under the designation o f a mystery the -

m ystery o f iniquity When however he does m ake his .

, ,

“
appearance it w ill b e aft er the workin g of S atan that is
, , ,
”
w ith all lyi ng p o w er and signs and w onders In other w ords .
,

the great p er Se cu t io n on the part Ofso m e advisedly unn am ed

R o m an emperor wh ich must precede the second c o m ing of
‘

Christ and to which that co m ing wil l put at end w ill b e

, ,

acco mp anied with po wer signs and w onders whi ch have their , ,

sour c e and their support in de c eption What then postpones .

the c oming of An ti christ ? The caus e is represent ed as a

pers on 6 K éxwv the restrainer
,
ar By this phrase t h e em
,

e r o r Claudius N ero s predecessor is intended

’

p ,
Accor d ingly ,
.

the passage taken as a whole is to this e f

,
fect Be not di s ,

t u rbe d as if t h e coming Of Christ w ere immediate

,
Before .

that event there w ill be a sanguinary persecution of the

,

Church w hich will o c c asion apostasy The di re assaila n t as I .

,

have intim ated is im perial R ome F or a ti m e that iniqui tous

,
.

p o w er is restrained When that res traint is withdraw n the .

,

lion will break loose and rage far and w ide His raging will .

b e short for hi s po w er is unreal Then w ill th e p o w er of God

,
.

in Christ appear and destroy the ravager Yo u have then in .

”
, ,
”
the p a sage in m ani fest features 1 s t
s the man of s in the , , ,

Antic hrist o f the Apo c alypse 5 2 n d he by who m the m an of ,

s in is curbed the reigni n g e mp eror 5 3 r d the persecuted

, ,

C hu rch ; and 4 t h the L ord Jesus M Meylan puts in the ,

. .

Pro f e s s or N o y es r en d er s gi l f t h w d t hu
t he or i na w i th l l
o es e or s s a

p o w er an d g
si n s, d w an on d ff l h d 5 wh t h qu lity f l h d i
er s o a se oo er e e a a se oo s

m ean t t o a pply t p w o o er , sig d w d

ns an Thi i w i onpp t d by er s . s v e s su or e

M e y er an d De W ett e .
142 “
THE MA N OF S IN .
”

“
claim s o f S at an To Sat an n o act is ascrib e d
. After the .

working ( or a ccor d in g to the op er a ti on ) o f Satan is a peri ,

h r as t ic al ad v erb s ignifying S atanically and that Satani c ally

p , ,

is forth with explained by the words with all unreal power ,

a n d signs and wonders Yo u thus see that in substance this .

p assage o f Scripture describes the great and ever enduring -

c onflict that proceeds between Go d Christ and the foes o f , ,

m an — s in and delusion contro lled and impelled by the policy ,

o fcivil despotism .

I deny the n that the ap ostle introduces me here as a person

, ,

a t all . He does mention my nam e but all usively alone He ,

.

d oes mention my n a m e but not S O as t o shew that he believed ,

in my existence His language may intimate that my name

.

was current as symb olical o fthe false the unreal the perish , ,

able . But this is all that it necessarily implies And this .

is in complete agreement with my averment namely that , ,

the language o fthe day was c oloured and darkened by O riental

demonology .

Th e man Of sin is characterized by the u surpation o fdivine

honours The e m perors o fR ome in the middle o f the first
.
,

c entury to ok the title o fdivine and were even called gods

, , .

As s u ch they w ere w orshiped But the disciples Of Chris t wh o .

,

worshiped Go d alone could not and would n o t worship them ,

.

Hence to worship them became a test and proof o f being a

C hristian Whe n then a person was brought before the R oman
.
, ,

tribunals charged with the crim e o fbelieving in Christ this

, ,

“ ”
test was applied to him : Sacrifice said the Proconsul , ,

“
sacrifice to C aesar Yo u hesitate ? Yo u have only t o thro w .

a little frankincense upon the altar that stan d s there beneath

his bust sacrifice I bid yo u sacrifice to N ero C aesar Yo u , ,

.

w ill not ? Then lictor do your duty 5 this is o n e o f the

, ,

s ect Of Christians Such in e ffect was the scene whi c h at

.

the ti m e that the letter was w ritten was being enacted in the
more civilized p arts Of the R oman empire This the man “
.
,
”
o fs in ,
is further described as a c ting Satanically by means o f
misrepresentation and irn p o s tu r e Here again so m e im m e .
, ,
144 HOW S C R IP TUR A L P R O OF S AR E PARRI C ATED .

M Meylan to m e are denounced by Pa ul as fals ities Indeed

. .
,

independently of the c orrection I have m ade in the t ran sla

“
tion the apostle by t h e words
, ,
w ith all p ower and signs ,

and lying wonders no more pledges hi mse lf to the re ali ty of

,
”

those means than does the writer in the Acts teach that Simon s
,
’

magic ( Acts vi ii or the n iai d en s divination were reali

.
’

ties Clearly these black arts are spoken o faccor di ng to the

.
,

Vi e w of them which com mo nl y prevailed .

And now you see how groundless is Pas tor M eylan s asser ’

”
tion “
He ( the de v il ) even works mi racles to seduce them
,

( the disciples OfChrist

) .

But at this point I must draw your attention to a not u n

com m on artifice F irst bear 111 mind that whatever is said
.
,

in the p assage whi ch we have studied is said in regar d to the ,

m e n and the cir c u m stances of the d ay when it was written .

This m ust b e taken to b e the case u nl ess in any p articul ar ,

case the w riter makes a clear exception by announ c ing a

general fa ct or a universal truth N othing of the kind has .

come under o u r eyes N evertheless the proposition whi c h this

.
,

scripture is addu c ed to support is a general fa c t an d a uni

versal tr uth Ho w is it m ade so ? Simply by assum ption on
.

the part of the writer He w rites in the present tense and

.
,

so universalizes what he says 5 and universaliz ing what he says ,

he creates all the comprehensiveness there is in his state m ent .

T his is not to interpret Scripture but to invent and enforce ,

beliefs 5 and to do b oth in the m ost e fl e ct u al m anner because ,

silently unp r etendingly and as if uncon s ciously

, ,
.

A se c ond passage addu c ed fro m the writings Of t h e apostle

“
to the Gentiles is found in these his w ords : Put on the
w hole ar m our Of God that ye m ay b e able to stand agai nst
,

th e w iles of t h e devil 5 for w e wrestle not against flesh and

blood but agai nst prin c ipalities and p owers against the r ulers
, ,

of the darkness Of t his world against spiritual wickedn ess ,

in high pla c es ( Ephes v i l l l 2 ) The pas sage is brought

”
. .
, .

“
for w ard by M M eyla n to sustain this hi s proposition
. the
devil and his angels exer ci s e an influen c e over t h e hear t of
 THE T RUE DE V IL IS THE RULER S OF D A RKNE S S . 1 45

men in order to i mpel them to evil N ow this state m ent and .

,

t hat m ade by Paul ( whatever it signifies ) are clearly not t an ,

t am o u n t Yo u c annot I mean put the one for the other 5 the

.
, ,

t wo ar e not inter c hangeable If not they differ The di ffer.

,
.

ence may be in substance o r in form in o n e particular or in ,

several N O m atter 5 they differ 5 and differin g this ca nnot be , ,

t aken f o r that n o r that for t hi s

,
I give as an instance the .

fa c t that while Paul does mention the devil the theologian

, ,

“ ”
mentions the devil and his angels This o n e difference .

vitiates the whole for it d estroys the identity o fthe t w o

,
.

The w riter howe v er by imp li c ation tells you in t h e twelfth

, ,
”
verse what he means by the devil m entioned in the eleventh ;
“

a n d it is no person at al l but certain abstractions which he

,

describes as n o t flesh and blood ( that is ordin ary hu m anity ) , ,

“
but prin c ipalities and powers the r ul ers of the darkness o f ,

t h e w orld against S piritual wi ckedness in high places 5

,

name ly the evil autho riti es in church and state that did the ir
,

ut m os t to crush the religion of Jesus in its cra dl e Thi s fo r .

m id able idolatrous and libertine power was the devi l o r ad v er

,

sary that Paul had in view and with which he had to wrestle ,

in co mmon w ith all the children o f Go d By such rulers .

the apostle was detained in prison whi le writing this Epistle

( co m p. i The
. imagery is a sceni c representation derived
from the O riental p hil osophy and as s uch not to be taken ,

to represent reality As well suppose that the kings and

.

queens that fret and stalk upon the mimic stage ar e kings and
queens indeed .

When war devastates lands cities and ho m es or when , ,

persecution slaughters the elect ones of the Chur ch what ,

more natural than that prophetic in di gnation or t h e outraged ,

s ense of hu m anit should blast the criminals by na m es w h i h

y , c

i n the Olden tim e w ere used to denote diabolical potentates ?

N O o n e that at this ho ur ( Jan 1 1 8 7 0 ) w itnesses the w idely .
,

spread disaster ruin and wo e under whi ch Fran c e is su ffering

, , ,

could hesitate to denounce L o u is N apoleon its guilty cause , ,

as a de m on as Apollyon the destroyer

, .
14 6 P ER S IA N LE G END A ND J EWIS H PABL E MY C RE ATOR S .

The two remaini ng passages qu oted from P aul may appear

to shew that the apostle b eli eved in the devil The p as sages .

“
( 2 C or xi .3 ; 1 C or x
. 2 0 ) in comb i nation
. state
. that the
“
serpent b egui led E ve through his subtlety and that the “
,
”

Gentil es sacrificed to devils and not to Go d Both these p r o ,

positions we have previously met w ith Th e former rests o n .

the sec ond accoun t o fcreation and has b een already j udged ,
.

The second is conn ected with the falsity alr eady c ondemned ,

t o the effect that the Obj ects worshiped by the pagans were
the fallen angels Thi s is a Jewish fable That is a P ersian
. .

legend B oth were received by Paul among the ru di m ents o f

.

the education which he underwent in the schools o fTar sus

and at the feet o f Gamaliel Whatever Pio N 0 11 0 may do .
,

Paul never prete n ded t o infallibility E ver does he speak o f .

himself in a tone o fmodesty In a matter o fpra ctical morals .

,

“
after declaring his j udg m ent he adds an d I think that I , ,

also have the spirit of Go d ( 1 C o r vii E ven in regard ”

. .

t o so momentous a matter as the excellency o fthe knowledge

o fChrist Jesus my L ord he says N ot that I have already
“
, ,

Obtained o r am already m ade perfect but I press on if so b e , ,

that I may la y hold o n that for which also I am laid hold o n

”
by Christ (Philipp iii 8 s eq ) In general terms he c o n
. .
, .

“
fesses ,
We know in part and we prophesy in p art 5 but ,

when that w hich is perfect is come then that w hi ch is in ,

part will be done away ; for n o w w e see through a glas s

”
darkly 5 but then face to fac e ( 1 C o r xiii 9 s eq ) Wh at . .
,
.

a rebuke too does he utter against all who set up their kn ow

, ,

ledge as the standard o fdivine tru t h m eas uring every man s ,

’

corn by their o w n bushel when he says If any m an think, ,

that he kn o w eth anythin g he kn o w eth it n o t yet as he ought ,

to know it Knowledge puffeth up but char ity e difi et h

.
, .

”
If any m an love Go d the same is known ( owned) by hi m
,

( 1 Cor viii 2. .

I am n o w brought t o the one hi storical p assag e in Acts

xxvi 1 8 referred to by p as tor Meylan The words for m par t
. .

o f the addr ess w hi ch Paul heard when o n hi s mission of ,

 B EL IEF IN DE V IL S A VA IN T H IN G .

Tho u believest that there is o n e Go d 5 thou doest well 5 the

dev ils also believe and tremble (ii ”
I w ill first consider .

the passage as it stands before yo u n o w Be so good as to read .

the next verse It runs thus . But wilt thou know O vain ,
”
man that faith without works is dead ? S O then agreeing
, , ,

with the devils in belief denotes a vain ( in the Greek it is

emp ty
”
) man If such
. agreement is an empty t h ing when it
involves the ac k nowledg ment o fGo d as o n e ho w muc h m ore
i
,

empty must it be when it asserts the existence of devils

N evertheless that exi stence is not asserted by James He
, .

merely quotes a common form o f speech and he quotes it ,

in order to shew how vain belief in any m ere proposition is ,

for
“
belief without w ork s is dead ( v It foll ows tha t
”
.

belief in me is really o f small imp ortan c e And yet what .

deadly influence has it had o n hu m an beings and human

affairs But now let us lo ok at o u r Greek N e w Testament .

Th e w ord rendered devils is da t p dm a that is d em o ns and by the , ,

L atin d aem o n es is i t rendered in the Vulgate or R oman Gatho

lic Version The E nglish ter m d evi ls co m es from L uther s trans
.
’

lation which has D ie teufel the d evi ls Luther was a great

, ,
.

believer in devils and he has left the i mpression Ofhis belief

,

in the E nglish authorized translation which gi ves d evils as ,

'
the equivalent o fthe Greek da tp o ma in all case s exc ept o n e .

In Acts xvii 1 8 the E picureans and Stoics who withstood the

.
,

apostle Paul o n the hill Of Mars in Athens say o f the apos ,

“
tle,
He see m eth t o be a herald o f foreign g o d s Which .

translation is right H e re t o o the E nglish slavishly fo llow

, ,

—
L uther Which is the proper rendering devils o r gods
.

To prosecute the inquiry as t o what the Ba cp o m a o r demons ’

o fthe N e w Testament really w ere wo uld o ccupy us too long , .

Yo u will re m ember that Josephus describes them as the spirits

Of departed men o f bad character This opinion has been .

backed up by mu c h learning If this is correct then James .

,

does not speak o fme and mine but o fdeceased human beings ,

w h o took possession Of and tortured living hu m an beings .

N ow that possession was i maginary and n o t real t he e ffects ,

 A TH IN G DONE A F O RE TIM E IS T H E REF ORE DONE Now . 149

whi c h occas i oned the notion arising fro m m ental d isorders .

And in that c ase Ja m es does nothing m ore than reflec t the

c o mmon Opinion of his day N or indeed whatever may be .
, ,

the V iew which he took o f possession o r of the demons in

general c an m ore be ascribed to him in this passage F or
,
.
,

n otice he does not declare that d evils exist still less does he
, 5
declare that t h ey ar e personal beings 5 but while treating Of ,

totally different subj ect n amely the necessity o f works to , ,

faith if faith is to be real he uses in the way o fillustration a

, ,

state m ent w hich i mp lying the existe n ce Of d evils and imply

,

ing their having belief pledges h im to nothing more than ,

the recognition o f a common saying o r proverb In other .

term s yo u here find in the lan guage o fordinary Jewish society

,

that belief in devils o fwhi ch I have s upplied yo u with abun

‘

dant proof It s till however re m ains an Open question h o w

.
, , ,

far that belief w as S hared by the apostle 5 for certainly the

qu estion is n o t settl ed by this the one sole reference t o the ,

subj ect supplied in this Epistle

Having exam ined t he o n e solitary passage taken from the
E pistle o fJa m es I will n o w set do wn the proposition whi c h
,

i t is adduced by M Meylan to establish : The d evils tre m ble

.

before ( o r in the presence Of) Go d No w before God is a

“
.
”

m ere addi t ion The text does not contain these w ords R e
. .

“
move the m and the proposition becomes The d evils tre mble
, ,

This state m ent is m ade in the nineteenth century The w ords .

o f Ja mes were uttered in the first century If the devils .

tre m bled then it does n o t follo w that they tremble now But
,
.

the author s theory says that they tremble always Al ways

’
.
,

therefore are they m ade to tremble

, .

Here co m es my parting w ord o n this point In the Go s .

pels w e find the de m oniacs o r mani acs ( lunatics they are

“ ”

c all ed in M att iv 2 4 xvii 1 5 ) w ere someti m es troubled and

. .
,
.

distressed in the presen c e o fJesus Thus the de m oniac men .

t io n e d in Luke iv 3 3 says o n seeing Jesus approa ch

.
“
L et
, ,

us alone 5 what have we to do with thee thou Jesus Of N aza ,

reth ? Art thou come t o destroy us ? I know thee who thou ,

150 O NE E
T S TI M ON Y ONL Y IN THE AC TS ,

art 5 the Holy O ne Of Israel The poor mani ac sha rin g in .

,

the popular superstition speaks as o n e under the influence of

,

a malignant spirit He is afraid Of the Messiah wh o in the

.
, ,

p op ul ar tra di tion was to destroy my kingdo m o fdarkn ess

,
.

Accordingly he trembles b efore the Holy O ne o fIsrael

“
.
”

Here my faithful companion you find the root o fthe state

, ,

ment made by the ap ostle James to the effect that the ,

devils b e li eve and tr emble Yo u n o w see what it is they do .

believe touc hi ng Go d They believe that o lla p o d r id a o r

.
,

mess o ftra di tional p ottage to w hich I have frequently all uded ,

.

’
In such a soil man s illusions may grow but not God s
’

realities .

“
THE A C TS O F THE A P O S TLE S suppli es M Meylan with .

o n e passage 5 o n e and no more ,

Here p erh aps I shall fin d a .
, ,

distin ct and explicit statement of this doctrine o fdevils which ,

is so fundamental that a learned German theol o gian says i n

“
relation to it He who believes himself c onstantly beset by
devils to whose baleful i nfluences his s oul is s u bj ec t is placed
, ,

in a totally different religious atmosphere to that o fus who find ,

evil solely in a diseased condition o fo u r own wil l and a c cor d ,

i n gly have t o fight with ourselves and n o t with spirits o fthe ,

air. How clearly and exactly Jesus laid down the funda
mental principles Ofhis religion is exemplified by the greater
“
portion o f hi s teachings Take fo r in stance the Parab l e .
, ,
” “
o fthe Prodigal S on 5 take the Beatitudes 5 the Sermon on
”
the Mount as instances Yet even thes e invaluable instruo
,
.

tio n s are not more important th a n is a view of God the world ,

an d the universe which changes the position character and

, ,

issues o fall at least as much as Galileo s discovery o f the

,
’

centrality o fthe sun chan ged the view of the physical cosmos ,

and changes it n o t for the better but for the worse and so ,

as to make the whole look l ike a huge aggrega t e o f at least

moral chaos and dis m ay I am then j us ti fied in demanding .

a scriptural statement equally formal and emphatic with that

C hristl D ogmatik, . v on H . L an g p , . 8 . 2n d e diti on , 1 868 .

15 2 E
T S TI M ON Y O F THE G OS P EL S .

I hav e n o w c onducted yo u through nearly o n e half o f the

N ew Testament We have under the d irection Of M Meylan
.
, .
,

studied the Apocalyp se the Epistles and the boo k o f Act s

, , .

E very proof text we have looked carefully into What is t h e

-
.

res ul t ? We have as I led yo u t o expect fo und instances in

, ,

w hi ch mention is made o f devils but n o t On e clear c ase in ,

which the sacred writer declared his belief in them S ome o f .

the passages indee d are such as if the existenc e o fthe eccle

, , ,

s ias t ic al devil had been previously established w ould admit ,

o fthat interpretation But n o solid independent proof thereof

.

have we found It is easy t o see that belief in me existed

.

in the medium in which the writers lived and worke d It is .

n o t easy to determine t o what extent o r whether at all thos e , ,

w riters held the vulgar opini ons 5 but we have n o positi v e e v i

dence whatever that those opinions were the same as are n o w
”
a constituent par t o fthe saving faith o fort hodoxy .

S E C T ON I II .

THE GOS PE L S Z JO HN MA TTH EW, MA R K LUK E

, ,
.

And thus I am in due course brought t o the Gospels The

, ,
.

q uestion t o be decided is : D O the Gospels she w that Jesu s

believed in a personal devil such as I am n o w described t o be ?,

Certain points have been previously established F irst t h e .

,

Hebrew nation a branch ( indeed the chief branch ) Of t h e

,

She m itic p eople after e m erging from their state o f religiou s

,

pupilage were and persistently remained rigorous m o n o th e

, , ,

i s t s wh o not o nl y owned the o n e only livin g and true Go d

, ,

bu t waged war against all false divi n ities and specially Opposed ,

the Z oro astrian dualis m in which the n otion o f a devil o r

, ,

originator o f moral evil first came i n to full and definite ex

,

is t e n c e
. In c onsequence their classic literature presents n o
,

trace o f a personal devil and it is only at a late period and

, ,

among popular superstitions that d iabolic al mythology m akes ,

an appearance That appearance at first shadowy and in

.
,

frequent ifn o t equivocal also taking place in de g enerate ages

, , ,
 J E S US s x w To o DEE P L Y TO BEL rEv E IN ME . 15 3

when the m onotheis m of the prophets h a d been diste mpered

by foreign ingredie n ts increased alike in b ulk and diversity , ,

unt il in w hat in a large sense m ay b e ter m ed t he age of

, ,

Jesus it b e c a m e a substantial part o f the national belief

, ,

and mixed up with Messianic misconceptions and apocalyptic

,

dr eams w ent far to madden the populac e and pre c ipitate the
,

fat al c ollision with R o m e In a w ord during the public mi .

,

n is t ry o fJesus the air so to say was in Judea full of devils

, , ,

and de m ons Was the vulgar co n c eption shared by J es us ?

.

This o n e o r t wo co n siderations will she w to b e i mprobable .

”
If Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebre ws ( Philip iii Jesus . .

was a She m ite of the Shemites He seized appropriated and .

,

taught the grand Shemitic idea of one only God the Creator
, ,

and Benefactor o f all Proofs are not needed o f a fact that .

m ost will at o nce admi t This idea of one God Jesus so .

,

modified as to bring o ut in the utmost ful ness and beauty , ,

the moral element whi ch it contains Hence hi s invocations .

,

Our F ather ( Mat t vi R ighteous F ather ( John xvii

“ “ ” ”
- . . .

O f this one righteo us F ather t h e providence is un i

versal extending not only to the physical and the animal
,

w orld (Matt vii 2 4 s e q ) but also to the intelligent world

. .
, , ,

and in that world e m bracing the bad no less than the goo d
( Matt v. and embracing
. the bad w ith such tender and
sym pathetic care that he loves even hi s ene m ies ,
and
s ends hi s Son to mi nister to the sick rather than to the sound ,

to call n o t the righteous but s inn ers to rep entance t o seek ,

and save the lost and that with such singleness o f purp ose
, ,

as t o leave o f his flock ninety and nine that are quietly - -

browsing the dow n s in order to go over hil l and dale and , ,

through wood and wilderness to recover the one lost sheep , ,

which when found he lays o n his shoulder and bears home

, ,

rej oicin gly .

Here yo u have the positive side o fthe m ind o f Jesus in

regard to the s olemn and all comprehensive subj ect o fGod -

and Providen ce N o w I submit that a m ind su c h as that o f

.

Christ which was perv aded and actuated by that idea co uld
, ,
154 J E S U S CH OS E THE TR UE A ND LEF T THE F ALS E .

n ever along side o f it have admitted the mani fest co n trad ic

, ,

tion thereof whi ch is i nvolved in the notion o f the common

ecclesias t ical devil To such an extent are the t wo in c o mp a
.

tible that n o w j ust in proportion as in di viduals and chur che s

, ,

make the first a reali ty in their minds and lives does the o ld ,

sup erstition recede until it finally retires and passes into con
,

geni al darkn ess Ofall minds that o fJesus most fully realized
.
,

hi s o w n idea o fGo d in conception in sentiment and in act , , .

C onsequently he could n o t have held its antago ni st .

I further observed that Jesus sto od b efore the reli gion o f

his forefathers and the religion o f his contemporarie s as an
e clectic The fact is proclaimed and exemplified by his S ermon
.

o n the Mount N o t indiscriminately di d he follow either the

.

a n c ients o r the mo derns N ot by who lesale di d he appro

.

ria t e the contents o f their sacred boo k s N 0 o n e feature o f

p .

his character is more marked and decided than its eclecticism .

It is all contain ed in hi s o wn phrase It has been said by ,

—
those o f o l d bu t I say unto you 85 0 (Matt v 2 1 s e q ) ,
”
. . .
, .

And the general tenor o fhi s antithesis proves beyond a doubt

that it was a moral and spiritual po wer o f the widest and
d eepest kind by which he was actuated in the mental processes
by which he chose that and rej ected this enlarged the narrow , ,

converted the partial into the un iversal and in the fact di ved ,

down and took up its underlying principle thus in all cases ,

c asting aside the external and the temporary s o as t o lay firm ,

hold o f the intrinsic and everlastin g A mind habituated to .

s uch processes co ul d n o t fail to leave behin d the speculative

and legendar y elements connected with a personal devil .

This eclectic p ower is essential to hi s typ al charac ter as

the Son o f M an ”
The child o f his race he stood forth
.
,

i n o n e aspect as the m o d el man Being the model man .

,

he contained in himself all possible hum an p erfections In .

conseque n ce he was in his o wn quali ties an anticipation o f

,

human i ty made perfect But as hu m anity has evolved its

.

e ssential elements a p ersonal devi l has sun k o ut o fsight

,
At .

resent moral s cience does n o t ta k e the trouble t o disprove

p ,
15 6 ON E R EFE R EN C E O NL Y IN THE F OU R TH G OS P EL .

In number the passages in the Gospels t o w hich he refer s

,

i n proof o f his v iews o n S at an a r e 1 7 O f these 6 are in .

,

Matthew 4 in Mark 6 in Luke a n d l in John H i s zeal

"
, , , .

and knowledg e may b e taken as a guarantee that he h as

adduced the whole adducible e v idence o n the p oint .

L et me first ask you r attention t o the o n e reference t o the

authority Of the fo urth Gospel O bserve it is o n e what only .
, ,

on e ? O nly o n e And yet this Gospel contains so very many

.

w or d s ascribed t o Jesus Taken as it stands in the commo n

.

E nglish Version it contains 9 1 9 verses O f these t wo thirds

,
.
,
-

at least c onsist Of Christ s w ords O f ( say) 6 0 0 verses only ’

.
,

o n e verse refers t o o u r subj ect Why this is marvellous in .

,

d eed And yet S atan lies at the centre Of orthodox theology

The whole system t urns round that pivot Take away the .

devil and the key stone o f the arch being re m oved the
, ,
-

bridge falls into ruins And with all the implied reticence
.

o n the part Of Christ touching myself not a S ingle word doe s ,

the Gospel contain touching what are called my angels Yes .

,

the demoniacs are left o ut o f the four th Gospel Ne v e rt he .

less it is a requirement o f or thodoxy t o believe that it w as

,

w ritten by John the beloved disciple who saw his Master

, ,

d aily casting o ut demons What greater testimony can be .

alleged against the supposition that Jesus believed in a p er

sonal devil ? E ither John must h ave lost his eyes and ear s
o r lost his me m ory o r Jesus could n o t have held the view
,

ascribed t o him by Pastor Meylan Yo u deny that the Gospel .

i s the work Of John Critics Of a high character make the

.

affirmation But then the affirmation clears the way fo r the

.

statement that the author Of the fourth Gospel wrote ex

,

pressly as t o universalize the testimony in both its character

,

a n d its e f
fects s o with a view t o that imp ortant end t o winnow
,

o ut Of the mind o f the Church all the legendary tares Of

devil is m and demonism and t o transmit t o posterity a p o r ,

trait Of Jesus as he really was an d c onsequently as free in ,

“ ”
word as well as thought from the wood hay and stubble ,

Of the pagan as w ell as the Hebraic past .

 J O H N S TE S TIM ON Y
’
IS FRO M J O H N ,
N OT FRO M J E S U S . 15 7

“
The o n e sole passage runs thus : Ye ( the Jews ) are of
your father the devil and the lusts of your father ye w ill do
,
.

He was a murderer fro m the beginn ing and abode not in the ,

truth because there is no truth in him When he speaketh

,
.

a lie he speaketh Of his o w n 5 for he is a liar and the father o f

, ,
”
it ( viii .

These w ords represent the Opinions either of the speaker o r

the hearers so far as the existence an d character o fSatan are
,

concerned They cannot have b een meant by the writer t o

.

represent the opinions Of Jesus since the former has studiously ,

avo i ded as c ribin g a belief in a personal devil to the latter ,

either directly o r indirectly throughout the Gospel More ,

.

over such a belief stands in co n tradictio n with the severe and

,

S piritual monotheism held and published by Jesus There is .

,

indeed an altern at i ve which deserves attention May not the

,
.

w ords represent the opinions o f t h e author Of t h e Gospel ?

It is taught by m ost eminent modern critics that the fourth
Gospel though containing many historical traits is yet not
, ,

so much a biography as a disquisition written to throw into ,

relief the di vine S ide Of Christ by means Of a suc cession Of ,

s c enes freely painted by the author o ut of m aterials he had

at his command In such a co m position the views Of the
.
,

w riter would inevitably inter weave themselves with the tex

ture Of hi s w ork T hi s V ie w is n o t a lit tle reco m mended by
.

the fact tha t the author is known to h ave held the p op u lar
,

notion of a p ersonal devil S ince he expresses it in 1 John iii 8

, .
,

in these w ords : He that c om m itteth sin is Of the d e v il ,

f o r the devil S inneth from the beginning 5 f o r this purpose the

S o n Of Go d was manifested that he might destroy the works ,

”
o f the dev il As then it is generally held that the writer
.
, ,

Of this E pistle is the author o fthe Gosp el and as w e know ,

that he b elieved in a personal dev i from these his o wn wor d s l

,

w e are warranted in asserting that c onsciously or unconsciously

he put his o wn notions into the mouth Of Chr ist whi le placing ,

hi m o n the stage in conversation and conflict with the Jews .

 158 THE S Y N OP TIC S N G ED WITH
TI THE DE M ON IS M OF THE D AY ,

And this he might d o with the less hesitation because apart , ,

from the question Of my p ersonal existence both passages ,

contain a most im portant and ever recurring verity Be yond -

.

a do ubt a great conflict is procee d ing o n the surface o f the

,

e arth — a conflict between moral evil and moral good It .

is also clear that the readiest way t o express the fact is t o

te rm the conflict as o n e between Go d (o r Christ ) and the devil .

This conflict went for ward while Jesus was o n earth between
him self an d the Jewish authorities i n Church and State 3 and
if e ver such authorities deserve to be des i gnated Satan o r
the devil they unquestionably did Indeed they exhibited i n
,
.
,

b road and high relief those baser qualities Of human nature

which led even the earliest ages to acknowledge a prince Of
d arkness and death as well as a prince Of light and life
,
In .

those qualities yo u see the origin and the source Of m y exist

ence in a personal shape I am the impersonation o f m an s
.
’

e vil and as m an s evil is found wherever m an exists I have

’

, ,

“ ”
a local habitatio n and a name all over the surface o f the
e arth .

I n o w a s k yo u t o acco mpany me in an investigation o fthe

m ore im portant passages (together with o n e o r t wo others )
a dduc e d by o u r authority fro m the three first Gospels These .

w ritings are specially Je wish T h ey are the prod u cts Of t he

.

Jewish state Of thought AS such they are Of course deeply tinged

.
,

with t he prevalent hues o f the popular m ind In presentin g .

those colours they attest their origi n and date They are
,
.

manifestly productions Of the middle o f the first century as ,

the first century was then in the land Of Judea The more .

c losely that age is studied the more a c c ur at el v it is kno wn the

, ,

c learer does it appear that the Gospels according t o Matthew ,

Mark and L u ke are growths Of the Jewish soil as it was in

, ,

“
t h e d a ys Of Herod the king and the emperors Tiberius ,

N ero and Vespasian N o t in vain then d oes this ine ffac eable
.
, ,

s ta m p lie o n the surface Of these writi n gs Beyond a doubt .

they c onta i n a genuine and veritable portrait Of the Savio u r

160 THE T E M P TA TIO N A M O R A L S TORY .

moral impo s sibilities as t o make it seem t o me most marvell ous

,

that a n intelligent teacher Of religion should at this time Of ,

day insist o n its being S imple history I abstain o ut Of

, .
,

reve rence from settin g forth the considerations that j ustify

,

m y implications But if this is history then Christianity

.
,

m ust acknowledge that it stands in the issue o n a level with

Islamism fo r this history equals in absurdity certain historical
,

n arratives in the K oran But if this is history then tell me

.
,

“
w hat dif ferences history from para ble The parables Of o u r .

L ord is a customary phrase which acknowledges that he did

utter parables N o w a parable is indeed in form a history a n
.
—
“
h istorical narrative Take as an example the Parable Of
.
.

”
the Prodigal S o n Here the form is historical and yet wh o
.
,

acknowledges a hi s t ory in this im pressive story ? The c o m

posit ion is simply a moral tale say after the manner o f ,

Miss E dgeworth Well then how d o yo u know that this is

.
, ,

a tale and that the te m ptation is a history ? Yo u reply ( it is

,

a ll that
y o u c an say
) that m anifestly in
,
the case Of the Prodigal
S o n the events did n o t take place If S O then it is a fiction .
, ,

a fictio n fu ll Of a moral — a moral I will add most pre c ious , ,

“ ”
an d most attractive But what d o yo u mean by manifestly ?
.

Give me the distinctive S igns and tokens Of a parable as ,

opposed to an historical narrative Yo u can assign none but .

a certain deg ree Of improbability Take J o t ham s parable Of .

’

“
how the trees went for t h t o anoi n t a king (J ud g ix 7 s e q ) . .
,
.

Yo u call this not a history but a parable why ?

, ,
“
Trees
”
cannot walk o r talk Very good Can moral perfection be
. .

“
tempted by moral baseness ? Could even the man Christ
”
Jesus be tempted by a creature S O vile as I am said t o be
What in my o w n proper for m and I am n o t d escribed as -

a ssumi n g another Why even Sch aeffer with all his m asterly
.
, ,

skill has n o t succeeded in throwing over his picture Of The

,
”
Tempta tion an air Of eve n aesthetical probability though he ,

has painted me with such features as al most to temp t me to

wish that I were as grand as he represents me If this fail s .

to reach the height Of moral imp ossibility that height is ,

 THE T E MP TA TION OF J ES U S AN A LLE G OR Y .

surely reached when Christ wh o is the creeds say God the , , ,

S on Of the sa me po w er and m aj esty as God the F athe r is

, ,

described as c arried through the air from the desert up to

the p innacle Of the te m ple in Jerusale m ( Matt iv Had . .

s uch a representation been possible before the eyes of Isaiah ,

w i t h w hat holy indignat ion would he have repeated his glo w

ing words ( xl 1 8 ) .

To w h m th
o en wi ll y like en Go d
Or wh t l ik
a en e ss will y e c om p ar e u n to him

In brief ortho doxy breaks do w n and is crushed here under

, ,

the load Of the in credibilities which it has been made to bear .

The te mptation OfJesus as described in the Synoptics is a , ,

parable or allegory setting forth in a certain dress the states

,

Of m ind through w hi c h Jesus went when brought into con

”

n e c t i o n w ith the spirit Of his age That spirit was one Of .

gross selfish enerva ted materialism which was making the

, , ,

e v er —recurring mistake Of atte mpting to overco m e ev il with

e vil and S O to refor m society by for c e Of arms and the m ani
,

p u l at io n of wonder w orking po w er Of some kind or other

-
.

That spirit during his public ministry w as ever when he

, , ,

had said or done some one Of his glorious reali ties eager to ,

take Jesus and m ake hi m a king Of its o wn m ean sort that ,

u n der its gaudy and fl aun t in g banner it migh t lead the Jewish
zealots to victory and dr ive the hated Ro m an fro m the land
, .

That evil spirit present ed itself to the m ind Of J esus in at tr ac

tive c olours and with brilliant pro mises It met him and .

soli cited hi m at every turn he took and every step he set o n ,

his m is s ionary j ourneys to found the kingdom Of God in the

,

land It assailed him only to b e repelled F oiled under this

. .

guise the evil spirit returned hoping t o sedu c e hi m fro m his

, ,

loyalty by working o n the c ravings Of hi s appetit e F ailing .

a gain it appealed to his a mbition

,
The m ost powerful in ce n .

t i v e s o fthe human heart w ere wr ought upon in order to turn ,

Jesus aside from hi s purely spiritual mission It was all in .

M
162 THE T E M P TA TION P REF IGU RE S THE H IS TOR Y OF J E S US .

v ain He re mained faithful to God an d duty and so rose

.
,

s uperior to the blandishments o fsense .

Thus vie w ed the parable which is called the Temptation

,

is a d ramatic anticip ation Of the real history which Jesus

’

lived while founding o n earth the kingdom Of heaven Thus

,
.
.

much for its substance Its for m it inevitably took fro m the .
,

phraseology Of the age E ven while speaking Of it n o w I .

,

a m obliged to use as I have done the phrase this evil spirit

, ,
.

TO ma k e my form into the form Ofthe n arrative I have only ,

to use a capital instead Of a small letter writing this this E vi l , ,

Sp ir it and I e m ploy lang uage w hich may b e un derstood as

,

denoting myself .

So slight is the difference betw een the natural s ense and the
demonological sense That slight dif ference existed in the
.

first century n o less than in the nineteenth Al ong side Of

,
.

“
the v ul gar state O f mind that regarded the devil and his ,
”
angels as p ersonal re al ities there stood another Of a hi gher , ,

a purely moral order which lookin g t h rough these dark , ,

s hado ws disc erned the substances which they represented as

,

well as veiled With such persons Satan was man s a d v e r

.
,
’

sary in gener al 5 for did not his name sign ify adversary 5 and
might not any one w h o acted adversely to another be called
“
S atan w ithout it be ing i m plied that he w as one Of the fallen
,
”
angels ? In short these infernal divinities were a t the time
,

as fast fallin g from their thrones as are Italian F rench Ger , , ,

man an d other princes in the present age In men whose .

S piritual vision was pure and piercin g enough to get below the

surface to the eternal realities the heathen divinities were

di v in ities n o longer and I myse lf had sunk to an emp t y,

name Such an eye w a s that Of Jesus wh o seeing Obj ects

.
, ,

as they are seen Of Go d saw me in the aeri al lineam ents o f ,

verbal imagery and accordingly applied my name to h uman

,

beings when their character o r cond uct was low mea n o r ,

treachero us D id he not call hi s o wn apostle Satan ? What I

.

—
was the pr ince Of the apostles was he on whom as the rock , ,
164 J E SU S S P EAKS TO M EN IN T H E IR O WN T ERM S .

in direct Opposition to the Obviously spiritual and religious

impor t of the whole Clearly you can deduce n o argument in .

'
favour Of Christ s recognition of a p ers onal devil fro m the
C ircumstances b ecause had he ever S O mu c h w ished to e m ploy
,

s piritual phraseology to describ e spiritual realities he had n o t ,

here nor indeed in any case when he addressed the people

, ,

any sort Of option S ince he wa s co mpelled to speak t o the m

,

Ofmoral and reli gious things in their o wn tongue and b eyond ,

a doubt that tongue as yo u have already had reason to kno w , ,

o v e rfl o w e d with demonologi c al phrase s — Before I leave this

p oint I m ust add a word or two I opened it by declaring .

that the w ord calumnia t or w a s not the essential m eaning

'
Of the term Ba fio Ao g and all that I have said goes to she w that
c , ,

in this application at least t emp ter is the right term There ,

.

is no reason why t h e devil shoul d b e vilified Why c alum .

”
niate the calumniator True Christian chari t y thinketh
no ev il even Of Satan The next proof all eged is Matthe w ix . .

3 4 which is m ore fully reported in Luke xi 1 4 whi c h I cite

,
.
,

in a corrected version Jesus wa s casting o u t a de m on that

was dum b And when the de m on was cast out the dum b
.
,

sp oke and the m ul t itudes w ondere d And others trying him

, , ,

s ought Of h i m a S ign from hea v en But he kno wi n g their .

,

thoughts said to them E very kingdom di v ided against itself

,

is brought to ruin and a fa mily divided agains t a fami ly ,

.

falleth If S at a n als o be divided against h imse lf how can

.
‘

hi s kingdom s t and ? I ask the question because ye s ay that

I c ast out de m ons by Beelzeb ub But if I by Beelz eb ub cas t .

out de m ons by who m do yo u r sons cast them o u t ? Therefore

,

they shall be yo u r j udges But if I by the finger Of God c ast .

”
o ut demons the n the kingdom Of Go d is come unto yo u
,

The answer is b eyond a doubt an appeal to the a rg umen tum

a d h o m i n em Jesus the more efl e c t u ally to confute his de
.
,

tractors looks a t the m atter from their p o int Of view Be

,
.

lieving in devils demons S atan and Beelz ebub and as c ribing

, , ,

dum bness wi th o t h er maladies to demoniacal influence as you

, , ,

have seen from Josephus they accuse Jes us o femploying for ,

 THE DE S IG N A TI ON B E ELZE B UL . 165

his purposes de m oniac al aid Whereupon out of th eir o w n .

c harge and i n their o w n w ords he c onstructs a contradictio n

, ,

o fthe most e f e c tual kind The pas s age good to tell u s what
f .
,

his assailants thought ab out Satan actually leaves the thought ,

Of Jesus o n the s ubj ect totally unuttered .

An d here I m ay s ay a word o f o n e o f the d esignatio n s

which M Meylan and m en Of his caste besto w o n me
.
,

namely Beelzebul In the authorized E nglish translation this

, .

word stands as Beelzebub Beelzebul is the correct readi n g . .

I mention this the rather be c ause it le a ds me to give you a

brief history Of the Biblical use of the w ord S O as to enable ,

u t j udge h w far I ha v e any right to the na m e The

y o o o .

form Beelzebub ( lord Of fli es or wasps or locusts ) was the , ,

sp ecific designation Of the false divinity Of E kron ( 2 K ings

i 2 5 1 S am v
. o n e Oft h e five royal to w ns Of the Phili s
. .

tines ( Jo s h xiii 3 xv . In order t o turn this idol into

.
,
.

an Offens i v e abo m ination the Je w s after their custom by , , ,

a slight ch ange in the second part of the c o mpo und ter m ,

that is by changing bu b into bi d called him lord Of the d u n g

, ,

h eap . This ster c oro u s divinity o fPhilistia his enemies then

m ade prin c e of the de m ons giving h im a throne as lit t le ,

ho n ourable as his new ly fabricated title N o w by that ti t le -

.

Ofthe du n g heap ) they m eant to denote the conte m ptible

( lord -

nothingnes s O fthe pagan divinities : wh at else then c ould they , ,

mean when they pla c ed o n h im the c rown Ofthe kingdom Of

the de m o n s ? All this looks like the w orkings Of in d ignan t
passio n m ore than the sedate and earnest opinion Of religious
,

m en . N evertheless it is eagerly seized and freely used in

,

order to firs t m ake m e a reality and then t o make that reality ,

as frightful as possible .

“
Am ong the for m s o fspee c h which Jesus employs are the ,

“ ”
kin gdo m o fGod and the kingdo m Of heaven These are so .

nu m erous as to need n o referen c e By this utterance he de .

n oted God s be n e fi ce n t rule o n this side o fthe grave and o n

’

’
th e other God s rule in m an s heart is in itself the achieve ’
.

m ent of Go d s aim a n d in its consequences the moral order

’

, ,
166 THE K IN G D OM OF GOD A ND THAT OF S A TA N .

’
b eauty and beatitude Of man s intelli gent moral and undyin g ,

n ature . This was the doctrine of Jesus By the S ide o fthis .

view Of the moral u niverse as in the hands Of God stood in , ,

sharp and broad c ontrast the kingdom Of Satan o r the king

dom Of hell The latter was the popular conception as to the
.

antago nism w hi ch it placed over against the r ul e s way o r ,

dominion Of Go d .

B oth views Jesus fo und in the land Of Pal estine when he

went for t h from his cottage home at N azareth t o have an
interview with the Baptist on the banks Of the Jordan He .

“
found both vie ws represented the o n e by the p h rase the ,

“ ” ”
kingdo m Of Go d the other by the kingdom Of the devil
, .

”
N ow mark learn and inwar dl y digest the fact He us ed
,
.

the former constantly N o t once did he use the latter What

. .

is this but to say that the former was hi s o w n vie w the latter ,

n o t his own view ? This he drops o ut o f his diction alto

gether That he employs and for what ? TO describe the
.
,

work his H eavenly F ather had given him to do in all its ,

simplicity graciousness comprehension and gran d eur The

, ,
.

“
religion of Jesus then does not involve the kingdom Of
, ,

Satan .
”
O n t he contrary it excludes it 5 and w hen it is tru e
,
”
that it is totally excluded while the kingdom Of Go d is
“
,

ever on the lips Of Jesus it is not too much to affirm that the ,

exclusion was conscious and intentional There is o n e ex .

c ep t i o n ,
and the exception proves the rule In Luke xi 1 8 . .

“
( Matt. xi 2 6 5. Mark iii Jesus employs the words. his
kingdom referring t o Bee lzebul But in doing so h e does
,
.

but take up the diction Of his assailants in order the more

effectually to rebut their c harge The accusation against hi m .

“ ”
was made by the Pharisees who were overrun with demon ,

ism Thi s fellow they said doth n o t cast out demons but
, ,

“ ”
by Beel z ebul the prin c e of demons The kingdom Of S atan
,
.

being thus introduced Jesus could do no other than take up ,

t h e falsity and the phrase in order to confute both An d .

this he does by a ffir ming as the res ul t Of the whole the ,

”
ki ngdom Of God is co m e unto you .
168 D O ES J E SUS UR S E
O AS W ELL As B LE S S ?
ture represents it as bein g God s retributory providen c e is .
’

co e xtensive w ith his o wn exi stence and suc cessive as the l apse ,

Of the min u tes hours days years centuries Of what men c us

, , , , ,

t o m ar ily denomin ate time Man s assizes op en and close ’

. .

Go d has but o n e assiz e and is ever in permanent sitting It

l
,
.

“ ”
foll o w s t h at the day Of j udgment is only a form Of speech .

That form can b e distinctly traced back to the false Messiani c

and ap o calyptic notions w hi ch as I have said more than once , ,

filled and a itated the popular mind Of Judea in the age of

g

Jesus With imagery Of t h e kind the book Of E noch

.
“
,
”

alr eady mentioned is full to overflo w in g The syste m Of

,
.

“ ”
thought w hi ch has the devil and his angels as a cen t ral
element existed antecedently to the days Of Jesu s As so
,
.

existing it cannot be a part Of the message he w a s co mm is

,

s i o n e d to pro claim to m an His d o ct rin e h e repeatedl y de °

,
.

clares he had learnt Of his F ather Instead then Of ap

,
.
, ,

r o r iat in g e x isting opinions he h ad it in charge to correct

p p ,

the m at least so far as inco m patible w ith the fundam ental

,

truths w hi ch he w as inspired to teach N o w among those .

truths t h e great and solemn doctrine of God s retributory

,
’

providenc e held a pro m inent position But in the m ind of .

,

Christ that r etributory providen ce was S O thoroughly parental

, ,

“
as to involve the greates t and tendere s t care for the lost .

But h o w are the lost regarded and treated in this chapter ?

The y are denounced as ye cursed and they are c onsigne d
.
“

to never ending w o e These t w o forms Ofspeech were then

-
.
, ,

uttered b y Jesus withi n a few hours the one Ofthe other

F irs t sp eech : “
D epart ye cursed into everlasting fire pre
, , ,

p ared for the devil and his angels .

S ec o n d sp eech “
F ather forgive them , they kno w not ,
”
w hat they do .

Can these uttera nces have proceeded from the sa m e lips

“
and fro m the sa m e heart Th en t r ul v out Of the sa m e
m o n t h proceedeth b l ess ing and cursing not withstanding t h e ,

express prohi bition given by James in these w ords : “

My
brethren these things ought not t o b e (James iii
,
Has ”
.
 MATTH E W xxv . A FOR E C AS T OF G OD S P RO V IDEN C E
’
. 169

Jesus then a superior perhaps in his o w n fa m ily ? and w as his

love after all S O infir m that after havin g bid d en his dis ciples
, , , ,

to love and n o t hate their ene m ies and to bless the m by w ho m ,

they w ere cursed he when near his last struggle broke do w n

, , ,

a n d practically pronounced a curse o n the greater nu mber of

the hum an race c ondemning them to everlasting fire ? If this

,

is a certain fa ct then Jesus ceases to b e the perfect m an c ea s es

, ,

to be the m odel Ofhis race and has been ac t ually ex c elled b y ,

“ ”
no fe w Of hi s disciples wh o passed fro m t h e fiery trial ,

wi th w ords of peace and blessing on their lips Moreover if .

,

this is a si mple fact then all law and sequence in even men of
,

d istinguished m orals are at an end ; y o u c annot reason fro m

o n e w ord ho w e v er emphati c or fro m o n e tho ugh t ho w ever
, ,
~

central to another Of the sa m e kind but mu s t in your ethi c al

, , ,

and histori c al studies prepare for the g reate s t an d m ost sudden

,

contras ts the clearest and m ost unappeasable c ontradic t ions

, .

But you are not driven to results S O distressing The entire .

twenty fift h chapter OfMatthe w is a series of dra matic scenes

-

full indeed Of divine and everlasting truth but as scenes by , , ,

no m eans to be taken a d u rz g z t em to the letter as representing , ,

a ctual reality It is Ofthe na t ur e of su ch compositions to be

.
,

w hile true In substance untrue in certain d etails which are , ,

introduced not so much for the m selves as for their picturesque

effe c t in the general drama the evolution Ofw hic h to it s close ,

bein g the great Obj e ct and aim Ofthe au t hor If it is pleaded .

that anyt hi ng S O artistic is not to b e attributed to Jesus sin c e ,

hi s o wn certain utterances are no less incomparably S i m ple tha n

inco mparably subli m e I admit the all eg ation and fin d in it a
, ,

confirm ation of an opinion that faithful as in its general bearing ,

and issue is the thought Oft h e w hole t o the kno w n m ind Of

”
Christ the stru c ture and for m do give intim at ions of the pre
,

senc e Of another and as an other S O Of ne c essity an inferior

, , ,

hand Perhaps all the facts Of the case ad m it of explanation

.

—
if w e s uppose the t houghts to pro c eed fro m J c sus and u n
—
questionably they are such as he e m ployed while the form
is attributabl e to some dis c iple a Judaic Chri s tian wh o w as , ,
17 0 WH EN C E “
E V ERL A S TIN G P U N IS HM EN T ”
?

as imbued with the spirit o f the age s o pervaded by t h e ,

popular de monology which as yo u n o w well kno w involved

, , ,
“ ”
the recognition Of the devil and his angels as p ers onal
be ings This is rendere d the m ore probable because t h e
.

s peaker introduces into his imagery everlasting ( aeonian )

” ”
fire and e v erlasting ( aeonian) punishment These w ere .

the figures which constantly recurred in the apocalypti c

phraseology Of the age as also is the sharp and fast line Of
,
-

division betwe en the sheep and the goats the wicked and the ,

righteous I quote illustra tions from the book Of E noch

.

al ready cited
“
Behold he c o m eth wit h ten thousand Of his saints t o ,

execute j udgment and destroy the w icked The L ord said t o .

R aphael : Bind Az az yel hand and foot 5 cast him into d ar k

ness 5 there S hall he remain fo r ever and in the great day Of
j udgment let him b e cast into the fire TO Gabriel also the .

L ord said GO t o the reprobates and destroy the children Of

fornication TO Michael the L ord said : Bind S amyo z a and
.

those wh o are associated with him for seventy generations

u n der the earth 5 then shall they be taken away into the

lowest depths Of the fire in torments and in c onfine m en t shall ,

they be S hut up for ever Then E noch said t o Az az yel A

.

grea t sentence is gone forth against thee Thou shalt be .

bound ; nei ther shall relief mercy o r supplication be thine

, ,
.

And I came t o a river Of fire which flowed like water and , ,

emptied itself into the great sea west ward and in the colu m ns ,

Of heaven I beheld fires And I beheld seven stars like great

.

blazing m ountains Then the a n gel said This place w ill be

.

the prison Of the stars and Of the host Of heaven The sta rs .

which roll over fire ar e those which transgressed the c o m

mandment Of Go d This place Of suffering is the priso n o f
.

the fallen angels and here they are kept fo r ever Then I s a w
,
.

a chasm ; an d o n the o t her S ide a strong rock and fo ur de

lightful places the abodes Of the blessed spirits Here souls
,
.

are separated The so ul s Of the wic k ed are bound and p unished

.

there fo r ever .
172 P O S S ES S I ON M EN TA L D IS E AS E , .

ment w here v er the subj ect comes into vie w n amely that , ,

w hile the po p ular belief re c ognizes m e as an evilly dispo sed -

person Jesus Christ she w s n o trustw orthy signs Of having

,

hel d any Opinion Ofthe k ind In the p ure and S hining at m o .

e

sphere Of his S piri tuality he re m ained a sterli n g She m i t e

, ,

knowing no angelic nor any hu m an antagonis t to Go d .

L et us turn to t h e Gospel a c cording to Saint Mark

“
.

Here four authori ties are referred to viz i 2 4 v 7 vi 7

.
, .
,
.
,
.
, .
,

xvi 9 These all c oncern not me but t h e de m onia c s Ofw h om

. .
, , ,

I ha v e already said so m ething O ne or t w o ad d itional w or d s .

may b e desirable Speaking Of the demoniacs in general I

.
,

ask your attention to the fa c t that there are two suppositions

for explaining the pheno m ena My Operation is one 5 the .

other is disease Which is to be accepted ? The latte r is

.

n o w ad m itte d by th e m os t competent j udges as w idely as the

l atter is denied It m ay be said that the v oic e Of general

.

c ulture supports the hypot h esis of di s ease while it contra ,

dicts that of a person al devil There cannot then be a doubt .

w hich you ought to a c c ept The disorders of mi nd and body

.

w hich possession i mplies a re still c o m m on T hey are treated .

,

mitigated or re m oved by m edi c al appliances In P rotestant

,
.

c o u ntries the m an would b e accounted insane that atte m pted

,

sacerdotal exorcis m E ven in Ca t holic lands m edical resources

.
,

have all but sup erseded priestly ones Yet w hile the Old .
,

superstition is thus Ob solescent outside the C hurch in one ,

c orner Of the Chur c h itself it stil l li n ge rs darkening and de ,

gradin g tha t science na m ely Theology w hich oug ht to lead

, , ,

the co r t eg e Of the light bearers o f the world A m ong the

-
.

reference s made by TI Meylan is Mark x v i 9 w here Mary

. .
,

Magdalene is spoken Of as a wo m an o ut of whom Jesus had

cast seven devils N ow here I must reprove t h is Protestant
.
”

divine in that he allo w s the unlearned to b el ieve that this

passage is as m uch Scripture as the rest w hich he quotes .

O rthodox zeal is Often deaf blind and du m b to God s truth

'
,
’

w hile busy in enforcing its o w n opinions If n o w you m y .

,

co mpanion who hav e b een S O patient while I have been en

,
 C AS E OF MA RY MAG D A LENE . 17 3

—
ga ged i n these verbal criticis m s and recondite resea rches if
you w ho see m to have a taste for these studies and a desire to
,

d is c riminate bet w een pri m itiv e and genuine Christianity o n

the o n e side and Old c orruptions and n e w obstina cies on the
,

—
o ther if I say you would like to read the N ew Testa m ent
, ,

pret t y m uch as it was whe n i t pro c eeded fro m the hands o f

its authors then pur chase ( you can get it for t wo shillings )
, ,

“
The N e w Testa m ent the Authorized E n glish Version with
, ,

Introdu ction and Various R eading s fro m the Three m ost cele
brat e d Man u s c ripts of the O riginal Text by C onstantine Tis ,

c h e n d o rf Tau chnitz E dition

,
18 69 and turning to the pas , , ,

sage in questio n yo u wil l find that those three m anuscripts

,

o mi t the w ords addu ced as of divine a uthority by our cleri c al

guide together with the entire re m ainder o f the chapter
,
.

Had I been guil t y o f this de c eption I should have had a ,

heap of hard words flung at m y head I make no return in .

kind 5 I only express a wish that fa c ts whi ch are God s words ,

’

may beco m e with us all more authoritative than our creeds .

But here I must make another co m plaint against your Eu

glish divines In the Authorized or Co mm on Version Mary
.
,

“
Magdalene is said to be possessed by seven devils The .

original Greek has not devils but de m ons O f course the

,
“

,
.

u nlearned reader thinks that Mary was possessed by me the ,

devil o r S atan o r so m e m inor d evil who equally wi th m yself

, ,

was a fallen an gel N othing o fthe kind She is not said to

. .

b e possessed by seven devils but seven de m on s I do n o t ,

.
,

because from what yo u have heard I need n O dwell upon the ’

r

difference It is huge ; and o n e terribl e e ffect o f the use in

.

your E nglish version o fdevil instead o fde m on is to fill the air

Of t he N ew Testa m ent with devilis m I seem t o be every where .

i n the Synoptical Gospels when I am al m ost nowhere N ot ,

.

fe w er than 5 9 ti mes does this gross m isrepresentation occur

—

in the N e w Testa m ent And is this the way in whic h the .

professed lovers of God s truth teac h the people ? Sufficient ’

reason have such public in structors to b e civil even to me .

“
I return t o t h e passage in the appendix to the Gospel
174 THE G ER A S ENE DE M ON IAC .

a ccordin g to Mark Were this the only passage in which

.

d emons are mentioned the adduction Of i t by M Meylan would, .

n o t j ustify any additional words But it may serve as an .

o ccasion f o r adding a little more information o n t h e matter o f

d e m oniacal possession Celsus gives the true idea when he

.

S peaks Of Mary as having been cured by Jesus O “

f ra v ing
madness . The phrase is unnecessarily harsh She was an .

epileptic As such she w as Often suddenly seized and thrown

.
,

o n t h e grou n d Healed o fthis shattered state o fher nervous

.

syste m by Jesus she felt to ward h im ( as she might well d o )

,

unutterable gratitu d e And it w as in beholding cures so striking

.

a n d benignant which seemed S O many victories over de m o

,

n ia c al agencies that led the popular mind t o think and speak

,

o f Jesus as my antagonist and conqueror This view o fthe .

c ase I could easily back up by the opinions o fdivi n es n o less

learned than liberal .

The Gerasene Ga d arene is a false reading ) de m oniac is ,

m anifestly a m aniac ( Luke viii 2 6 w hom Jesus in virtue .

o f his hu m a n and divine power tranquillized and restored t o

soundness o fmind This appears manifest from the d e s c rip

.

tio n s given by the historian The poor creature was naked (o r .

all but n aked ) had n o ho m e and wandered about among to m bs

, ,
.

He had been in confine m ent but he broke his chains and ,

rushed into deserted S pots There at least h e was at liberty .

from hu m a n control and cruelty and there he c ould indulge ,

his fits o f rabid melancholy apart from risking his personal

freedom S O much did he in consequence o fwhat he had
.
,

su ffered d read the very S ight Of a human being that the

, , ,

moment he saw Jesus land o n the eastern shore o f the lake

Of Galil ee smitten with terror he thre w himself at the
, ,
”
great Teacher s feet exclaim ing Torment me n o t
’

,
Instead ,
.

Of tormenting Jesus soo thed him and fo r this purpose wisely

, , ,

e ntering into the man s m orbid notions fo r the benign pur

’

, ,

pose o fremoving them he acquiesced in the request that the ,

legion Of demons to which t he man iac believed he owed his

,

m adness might p ass int o a herd Of swine tha t wa s fee di ng o n

,
17 6 THE PA R A L Y TIC W O MA N .

logical hues of the age and the people and where such an ,

ele m ent bears s way entire c onfor mity o f repres enta tio n with
,

your m odern mo des of thought is not to b e expected E nough .

,

however is clear to take fro m the incident all support o f my

,

existen c e a n d personality The disorders I inflict are n o t .

c urable but incurable

,
— at least so says ortho dox demonology .

This incident brings into vie w t w o opposite methods Of

treatin g the insane viz that of for c e and that Of gentle and
,
.
, ,

w ise sympathy The form er only exaggerated the disease the

.
,

latter removed it Yet in a civ ilization which w orships Christ

.
,

the form er till recent days held undivided s way O nly

, ,
.

w ithin the present century has the latter found practical r e

cognition That a ckno wledg m ent is as yet but partial “ hat
. .
T

wonder w hen those who administer the religion of the highest

,

c ulture teach that God s m ethod wi t h sinful men is one o f ’

wrath w hi ch in regard to the great maj ority burns and rages

, ,

into eterni t y What w onder when those same Offic ials make ,

fear their lever rather than love ? It is only when belief in

’
me God s great torturer shall have ceased to worry distress
, , ,

and degrade me n that the intrinsic gentleness of Jesus will heal

,

w ounds w hich n o w fester i nto deadly gangrenes How lovely .

is that sympathetic tender and all subduing gentleness as it

,
-

shines softly o u t fro m the cure Ofthe Gerasene demoniac I

The passage in Luke xiii 1 6 involves the cure o f the .

woman who m S atan is represented as having held bound

“ ”
eighteen years The infir mity was a disease The original
. .

denotes loss of strength a weakness or par t ial paralysis ,

.

Such was its nature a n d po w er that she wa s bowed together , ,

and could in no wise lift herself up She was restored

by Jesus The act b eing perfor m ed on the seventh day called
.
, ,
”
fort h indignation from a ruler o fthe synagogue who m Jesus ,

rebuked as a hypocrite ; adding O ug ht n o t this woman

“ ”
, ,

whom Satan hat h bound lo eig h t een years to be loosed fro m , , ,

this b ond on the sabbath day In this reply Jesus used the -

term Satan as indicative Of the paralysis itself considered in a ,

personifica tion In the original Greek it is the Satan that is

.
, ,
 J UD A S AN D S TAN A .

as we should say the e v il the disorder The ter m the Sata n

, ,
.

w as supp lied by the c ur r ent phraseology In his ex c ellent .

“
Atte m pt to ward revising our E nglish Translation of the
Greek S criptures ( 2 vols 8 v o Ar c hbishop N e w c o m e
”
.
,

in a note on this s c ripture remarks In the pop u lar language ,

of the Je w s diseases and i n fir mit ies w ere attributed to Satan

,
.

See Ac ts x 3 8 ; 1 C or v 5 ; 2 Cor xii 7 ; 1 Tim i

. . . . . . .

And so w e Obtain aid toward understanding the last re

feren c e to L uke s authority viz xxii 3 3 1 It is the case o f
’
,
. .
,
.

Judas the betrayer of Christ In the thir d verse the his

,
.

torian tells u s th at j ust before Judas delivered Jesus up ,

Sa t an entered into him This is m erely the Je wish for m

.

Of saying that Judas w a s seized an d m ast er e d by an evil design

'

na m ely t o betray his L ord Ho w na tural a fi gure this I for

,
.
,

Observe it is a figure of speech The image is psychologically

, .

j ustifiable Bad thoughts as it w ere rush into the mind s o m e

.
, ,

tim es E ven in tryin g to b e literal I have u ndesignedly e m

.
,

ployed the figure Ofr ushi n g i n t o a m in d Another form o f , .

speech m akes sudden thoughts r ise in the mind o r s eiz e ( as ,

fr o m w ithout) the heart And yet the sense is not exhausted .

w hen w e des c ribe bad ( o r good ) thoughts as so m eti m es sud

d e n ly taking possession (another figure ) of the mind The .

phrase im plies in such cases that the person S poken o f is not

habitually bad nor usually so good as t he c ase may b e and
, ,

so Luke see ms to have m eant to inti m ate that Judas w as not

wholly and habitually c o rrupt .

—
It has been truly said that fig ures of spee c h are edge tools ;
”
they c ut the fingers— of those w h o use them C ertainly those .

w h o use the m not kno w ing w h at they do are sure to inj ure
, ,

the m selves and m islead others L anguage abounds in these .

dangers You can s c arcely speak of any state or operation of

.

m an s intell igent nature but you incur a risk of e m ploying a

’

figure whi c h m ay m islead yourself or others Take the phrase .

I have j ust e m ployed i n c ur a r is k To i n cur w hen translated

, .
,

o u t Of its L atin for m into plain Saxon E nglish is t o r un i n t o , ,

an d t o run into a t hing is t o go spee d ily into it o f your O W II

178 P E TER SI T F ED BY S ATA N .

accord But in the sentenc e wher e j ust befor e the phrase is

.

found there is properly n o running at all an d the figu rativ e

, ,

running int o is plainly unintentional .

O f all th e figures Of speech personification involves the ,

greatest tu rning aside from si m ple fact sinc e it m akes mere ,

qualities into real persons The principal sourc e o f m y p er .

son al exist ence is personification I am indeed historically .

only a figure o fsp eech .

Had these fact s been uppermost in Pastor M eylan s m ind ’

he would n o t have put this among his proof texts The words -
.

( L uke xxn 3 1 ) are as they

. stand in the c
,
ommon version ,

Simon Satan hath desired t o have yo u that he may S ift yo u

, ,

as wheat What sift really sift a man ? What sor t o fa

.
, ,

sieve would accomplish the operation ? Clearly we have here

again a figure and a bold o n e t o o A physical process is
,
.

applied t o a state o fmind N OW what does sifting d o ? It .

s eparates the corn from the husk Such a process is bene .

fi c ial and useful Yes ; but it is a severe process

. Here lies the .

point o fthe metaphor which Jesus intended When Christ had .

“
j ust before sai d The hand o fhim that betrayeth me is with
,

me o n the table ( Ofthe last supper) the disciples began t o in ,

quire among themselves which o fthem it was that should d o

this thing And there was also a strife among them which
.

”
o f them S hould be accounted the greates t ( in the coming
kingdom) A lamentable state o fmind indeed 5 most lam ent
.

able and painful was it to all the Master as well as the d is ,

c ip l e s
. J ud as had already fallen N o w others are tempted . .

Gross selfishness has the upper hand and as ever it breeds -

, , ,

conten tion and strife Clearly these men are in danger o f

.

deserting him whom t hey are pledged t o support Among .

"

the most pro m inent and the mos t e fl us iv e Of t hese excited

w e aklin g s is Peter K nown by Jesus Jesus had prayed that
.
,

his fi d elity might n o t break down But what w as he n o w t o .

expect after that dispute and that strife ? The prospec t was
dark But he would put them o n their guard
. Be w are yo u ,

are sorely tempted I fear fo r your constancy in m y ap p roach

.
 80 S ATA N ON E OF A S ER IE S OF M E TA P H OR S .

c hildr en Of the wicked o n e the enemy that so wed them is the

devil 5 the h arvest is the end o f t h e w orld 5 and the reap ers
are the angels As therefore the tares are gathered and burned
.

in the fire so sh all it b e in the end of t hi s w orld The S on

,
.

o f Man shall se n d forth his angels and they shall gather o ut ,

o f his kingdom all things that Offend and them w hich do ,

iniquity 5 and shall cast the m into a furnace of fire 5 there shall
be wailing and gn ashing o fteeth : then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the king d o m o f their F ather ”

( 3 7 —4 3 )
That in the substance o f this passage you have a de clara
tion Of the essentially Christian and most sole m n truth o f
Go d s di scri minative and retributory providen c e as exercised
’

i n Christ is b eyond a doubt

,
But in what for m ? In a .

'

series of fig u r es These figures begin with the titles o f the

.
'

p arable It is a so w er that goes forth to s o w 5 and when he

.

has sowed an ene m y c o m es and scatters tare seed a m o n g the

,
-

wheat seed The w ords wheat and tares to de n ote good and
-
.

bad m e n are figures o f speech The so wing is a metaphor . .

He that is by a m etaphor called a so w er is by another meta ,

“ ”
phor called the S on of Man What w onder then that the .
, ,

so w er of the tares n o w made into an ene m y is S hortly after

, ,

ma d e into the great ene m y the devil ? Add to these t wo ,

“ ”
m etaphors the world for human b eings 5 the chi ldren o f
,
”
the kingdom for faithful dis ciples OfJesus 5 the angels fo r
the apostles and their legiti m ate successors N ext comes the .

metap ho r of the harvest 5 then the kingdom (o fChrist)

“ ” ”

“ ”
f o r the Church ; then a furnace Of fire for a gui lty c o n
scien c e ; wailing and gnashing o f teeth for the pangs and
throes of conscious guil t 5 then sunshine t o denote moral
blessed n ess 5 and the kingdo m of the F ather to signify the
“ ”

rule o fGo d in m en s hearts and lives Take the realities thus

’

indicated by this passage and it b ecomes o n e o f the m ost

,

solemn and the most mo m entous ever uttered by Jesus C o n .

vert these divine realities into the i m ages in which they are
clad and you fall into the perishable fo rms o flanguage whic h
,
 Is S A TA N IN THE L ORD ’
S PR AYER ? 18 1

Judea borro w ed fro m m ythologi c al paganis m The latter Jesus .

did not originate 5 w hat t hen really belongs to h i m ? The

for m er 5 that is t he everlasting truth of God A si m ilar pro
,
.

c e s s explains the parable o fw hat is c alled D ives and L azaru s

,

w here the retributions Of the w orld to come are painted in a .

pi c ture t h e s c enery o f which is b orro w ed from the current

,

Hellenis m o fthe day .

A passage not adduced by M Meyla n is held by so m e to .

point to m e It is the last p etiti on in w hat is called the

.

L ord s Prayer
’
“
D eliver us fro m evil ( Matt vi It
”
. .

is not pretended that the entreaty expressly m entions the

”
devil but that the Gre e k for evil m a y b e rendered the evil
,

o n e o r Satan
,
A rendering is a v e ry d iffe r en t thing fro m an
. i

a fi rm a t i o n At r an sl at i o n is the produ c t of a t r an slat o r whereas

.

an affirm a t ion IS the product of the S peaker To make the .

former equivalen t to the latter is to lend t h e authority of t h e

—
,

Master to that of t h ed isciple In other w ords it is to deny .

,

Christ and to put yourself in his place .

t is true that so m e translators have recogn ized m e in the

“ ”
original and so in evil a cknowledged the devil
,
“
Bu t .

how ? Al m ost exclusively by w ay Of a gloss It w ould be .

“ ”
very diffi c ul t to find an instan ce in w hich the devil w as
pla c ed in the s crip tural text .

The c hief point in the issue is whether t h e Greek fo r evil “

,

is of t h e neuter or the m as culine gender If o fthe neuter the .

,

renderi n g in the c o mm on version is right 5 if Ofth e masculine ,

“ ”
it S hould sta n d the evil o n e 5 for even then the la w s Of
“ ”
tran s lation d o not allo w the devil Whether the for m .

should be t aken as m as c ulin e o r as neuter no t hing in the text ,

determ ines Ac c ordingly those w h o go to the passage be

.

lievin g in a personal devil find m e there 5 those w h o do not ,

take m e into t h e pas sage sim ply leave m e out ,

.

A passage in Ma t t h e w s Gospel however she ws tha t Jesus

’

, ,

need not be supposed to have m ea n t the personal devil that

darkened and troubled the m ind Of his c onte m poraries In .

” ”
v 3 9 he forbids his disciples to resist evil
.
,
t he evil , .
182 DE AN A LF ORD A N S W ER S IN THE NE GA TIV E .

Say he meant me t hen he will s that I sho ul d have my way ,

uncounteracted This is absur d The command is to resist

. .

—
not what ? Aggression Rather give a kiss for a blow . .

The matter as it stands is clear enough But there are per .

sons w ith whom authority pre v ails where fact and argu m ent
fail I t herefore quote the w ords Of the already cited Biblical
.
-

scholar D ean Alford

,
“
In another view as expressing the ,

deep desire o fall hearts to b e delivered from a ll evi l ( for 7 0 17

r o vn of} IS H ERE C ER TA I NL Y NEU TER 5 THE IN TRODU C TI O N O F THE
p
‘
M EN TION OF THE E V IL ON E W O ULD H ERE B E Q U ITE IN C ON G RU OU S ’

A ND E V EN AB S URD ) these w ords for m a seventh and m ost a ffect

,

ing petition reaching far beyond the last L ead u s n o t into

,

They are the expression Of the yearning for re

de m ption of the sons o fGo d ( R om viii and s o are fit ly . .

placed at the end Of the prayer and as the sum and substan c e ,

of the p ersonal p etitions S O Augustine very beautifully says .

When w e s ay D eli ver a s fro m evil we remind ourselves that

, ,

w e are not as yet in that good w herein we endure no evil An d .

the last request m ade in the L ord s Prayer goes s o far as this ’
,

nam ely that t h e Christian man in whatever tribulation he

, ,

finds himself groans for this weeps for this begins with this
, , , ,

d w ells o n this and terminates his supplication w ith this

,

D eliver me fro m evil .

’

There are two passages in the N ew Testament on whi c h I ,

have not spoken which recei v e n o t illustration only but ex

, ,

planation from the fact w hich has been so fully established

, ,

na m ely that the fall Ofthe an g els is a pagan fable that be c a m e

,

a Je w ish d og ma b eing received in the Je wish Chur ch w hen c e

, ,

it passed into the Church o fChrist O ne of these passages d e .

s crib es m e as a m urderer (John viii the reference being .

to m y alleged in fluenc e w hich Milton d escribes w hen he ,

speaks of the disobedience Of the first pair as having brought

”
death into the world and all our w o e I am a m urderer .

inas m uch as according to tradition I seduced E ve int o sin

, ,

The Gr e ek Testamen t for t he u s e o fTh e o l ogical S tud en ts

, an d M i n ist e r s ,
V ol . I . 56 . 4 vo sl . L on d on , 1 85 9 .
 84 S A TA N “
THE GOD OP P O IS ON .
”

t me n t s ,
I cease to be m an s foe and beco m e his best friend ’
o in
p ,

w hile the Creator is thro w n into the s ha d e by my superab ound

ing glory Tell me t hen can it be for the honour Of Him
.
, ,

w ho m ecclesiastics c all the Almighty tha t I should have eith e r ,

i nheren t or permissi v e p ower to alter the whole c ourse Of

man s existence s o as to t I an s m ut e evil into good by giving
, ,

him the fa cul ty of an ever gro wing an d I is in g life instead of ,

the stagnation of childish innocence at the best ? Tell m e ,

too if you m y sim ple m inde d listener do not feel supre m e

, ,
-

satisfaction in thus beholding the idle legends t orn to pieces

by the fingers of fa c t and c o mm on se n s e
The other passage t o w hich I allu d e you m ay find i n Hebr e w s
‘ii
. 1 4 where ,
Chris t is described as ha v ing by his death de

stroyed death and m e its sourc e The au thor m anifestly writes

, ,
.

under t h e c ontrol Ofth e Je wish fable That cycle of phantas m s .

taught that I as t h e angel of death and under the na m e of

, ,

S am ael sle w the protoplasts and t hrough the m their descend

, ,

a n ts Over w ho m in virtue o f t heir obeying m e I obtaine d

"

, , ,

the po w er or do m inion of death The na m e a c cording to its .

et ym ology signifies th e Go d ofp o i s o n 5 and s o you see spe e n

, , ,

tion c ontradicts the Scrip t ure quoted above w hich w ith hun , ,

dreds of other p assages asserts that Jehovah is God God alone , ,

.

A c c ording to this figment the God Of c reation w as defeated ,

by the Go d of pois o n In o t her words I poisoned and s o .

, ,

killed Go d s intelligent cre ation This I did at one blo w

,
’
. .

The fall of E v e was the fall of her ra c e But n o w h o w is it .

,

wi t h m y S layer Christ ? His death on the cross is said to

,

have been m y dea t h and yet I a m s t ill ali v e I poi s oned the , .

hu m an race in one m o m en t by a sin gle apple Christ h as .

taken t w o thousand years to slay the p oisoner and he is n o t ,

yet S la in N ay i ft h e c reeds are right I ne v er s hall be slai n

.
, , ,

fo r eternal tor m ents stipulate an e t e I n al tormentor When .

w ill the Ofli ci al teachers of religion cease t o tea c h for d o c

N o rk : Et l g h y b l h yth l g h
y mo o i sc -
S m o i sc -
M o o is c es R e a l Wer t e r buch
-

un d er S a ma el l Ei m g E t d kt J d t h m
s en en er : n ec es u en u ,
II . 464 5 l
a so t he
R a bb in i ca l Tr a c t S h
s, d Pi k Eli
o ar a n r e e s er .
 I ND IV IDU A L D UA L IS M s ATAN S
’
B IR THP L A C E . 185

trines the c o mm an d m ents of m e n ( Matt x v a n d in s o . .

doing c ease to m islead those they tea ch and dishonour the ,

Go d and the Chris t w hose gl o ry they profess to seek ? Of

“
this god Of poison things are said in Je wish tradi tio n w it h
which I w ill not sully yo ur pure ear n o r distress your tranquil
mind my friend
,
.

The ease w ith whic h I have dealt w ith thes e t w o pa s sages

m ay serve to illus t rate the advantag eOfthe histori c al m e t hod
I have pursued and to aid you in dealing with o ther si milar
,

eviden c es Ofm y real perso n al existence .

Before I leave this im portant por t ion of m y task I mu s t ,

rec ur to the subj ect of the dualis m out Ofw hi c h I have logi
cally and hi s tori c ally spr un since the vie w I a m n o w about
g
0 )

to put before you b ears w ith no s m all for c e on the Opinion

held by Christ as to t h e de m onia c s Ofthe Gospel .

There is a dualis m in every in dividual Good and evil .

appear i n ea c h h u m a n being an d Oft en in strong c ontras t ,

.

N o w the good is in the as c endant n o w the evil The con ,

.

trast extends itself to sta t es Of m in d e g w hether sad o r ,

. .

j oyous Temper too steps in w i t h it s varying In O Od s 5 here

.
,

again is a contrast as b et w een the bad and the good These

,
.

diverse dispositions if t olerated still m ore if encouraged

, , ,

acqui re great p o w er and recur frequently if they do n o t be

, ,

co m e habitual At last they create as it were t wo persons

.
, ,

every indi v idual 3 and these t w o are so diffe rent that you r ,

friends w hen you are at your worst hardly kno w you Ac

, ,
.

”
c o r d in l
g y t hey s a
y Of you He has lost self c ontrol
, 5
“
he -

”
is no longer m aster Ofhi m self ( s u i c o m pos non est ) he is
quite another person And here is t h e essential ele m ent Of
.

p ossession You are no longer one but t w o

. f those t w o ,
.
,

o n e is yourself and the other is your m as t er

,
As your m aster .
,

he is w ithi n you If he is within you you are possessed by

.
,

him ; you are his servant his s la ve , .

L anguage is full Of such phraseology D O yo u not s ay The “

.
,
”
dr unkard is ruled by his passion for drink a s if the d runkard ,

M an s “ ’
and his passion w ere t wo persons 2 Is it not said .
,
 186 S A TA N B O RN OF L IN G UIS TICA L U S AG E S .

vices are his bitterest foes 2 as if the foe w ere not the man him =

self After the sam e manner you p ersonify c onscience

.
“
Your
”
c onscience conde m ns you fi o g s yo u tortures yo u as if y o u ,
, ,

and yo ur conscience w ere t wo b eings S O also your c o nscience .

may be your accuser and in cer t ain states Of mind yo u r false , , ,

,
—
a cuser your adversary in a word your Satan your devil If
c
, , .

this dualis m arises in ordin ary corporeal and m ental con di tion s ,

h o w much more S O in disorder Of body o r m in d 1 Hence the

phrases he is Out Ofhis m ind ;
“
,
he has l o st his wits 5 “
he ” ”

”
is beside him self (Mark iii 2 1 ) 5 and in the N e w Testa m ent .

”
as the source Of evil speaking h e hath an un c lean spirit
-

( Mark iii The. dualis m to w hi ch I have n o w referred i s

not confi ned to o n e age or one nation It has its ground in .

man s in m ost nature Man is at once subj ect and Obj ect Hence
’
. .

the words self myself yourself in c ontrast w ith I and you

, , ,
.

Accordingly you say I c onte m plate m yself 5 L ook w ithin ,

“

“
Keep yourself pure And for this second self language has .
,

several synony m s : e g Study your o wn cha r a ct er . .

“
L ook
on your hea r t ”
K eep y o ur br ea s t free fro m guile
,
At this .

point the word spirit Ofi e rs itself as o ur second self N u .

m er o us instanc es are found in the S c ripture : e g Pharaoh s ’

. .

” “ ”
spirit ( that is Pharaoh ) was troubled ( Gen xli Why . .

is thy sp irit so sad 2 ( 1 K ings xxi “

The L ord stirred up
”
.

”
the spirit OfPul ( 1 Chron v In these instances spirit . .
,

si m ply a dualistic pleonasm Caleb ho w ever is s aid to have .

, ,
”
had another spirit w ith him and h ath follo w ed me fully ,

( N umb xiv
. This was . a goo d spiri t in Opposition to the ,

evil spirit by which the rebellious Israelites w ere a c tuated ( 2 2 )

The c ontrast bet ween goo d S pirits and bad runs through the ,

Bible e g a lying spirit ( 1 K ings xxii 2 2 ) 5 a spirit o f

. . .

” “ ”
divination ( Acts x vi 1 6 ) 5 spirit Ofantichris t 1 John iv . .

spirit O fbondage ( Ro m viii ” “

also thy g o o d spirit . .

“ ”
( P .S cxliii 1 0 5
) spirit
. Ofcounsel
( Is xi 2 )5 spirit Of truth . .

“
( John x iv 1 7 )5 the . spiri t Of truth and the spirit o f error

( 1 John i v It is har
. dl y necessary to add that Jesus in ,

this p articular shared in the phraseology o f his d ay e g . .

 88 J ESUS N OT M IS LED BY r o a st s or S P EE CH .

”
the evil spi rit Becau s e posse sion and Satan though s
,

S pringing fro m hu m an na t ure are seen to have their roots in ,

for m s Ofspeech w hi c h are as c ha n geful and p erishable as they

are d iversified and c o n tradi c tory O ther dualistic for m s have
“

been preserved be c ause though si m ple fig ures t hey are useful

, ,

w i t hout being In j u rl o u s w hereas possession w ith its ae c om

, ,

an i m en t s has b een the m ost dead l y of ph raseological i nac

p ,

c ura c ies .

That Jesu s should have taken these fil m s o ffancy for p e r

sonal realities is in c onceivable Kn o wIn g God and God s .
’

relation to the universe ; kno w ing God s m oral o rd er in the ’

”
govern m ent o f the w orld 5 m oreover knowin g all men , ,
”
x n o w i n g w hat w a s in m an John and kno ing
( Ii 2 4 w .
,
”
m en s thoughts Matt ix he m ust ave b een inti m ate
’

( h . .

w ith the hum an heart and the hu m an m ind 5 he m ust have

b een lifted up into oneness of vision with Go d in regard to the
reat m oral po w ers and for c es of t h e m oral universe so as to
g ,

know that de m oniac al posse s sion had not its origin in a fallen
ar c hangel and w a s not inflicted by that a lleged infernal po w e r
,
.

I Yi
, t h h im d oubtless i t w a s a n opinion or rather an idio m
, , ,

of the d ay 5 an Opinion held by others an idio m as used by ,

hi m se lf That idio m he w as co m pelled to e m ploy sin c e the

.
,

only way for him to get into m en s hearts and rene w their ’

lives was to speak the l an gu age whi c h w a s spoken by his con

te m p o raries Ph il osophers do so at the pre s ent hour even in
.
,

the m os t a c curate o f all t h e applied s ciences na m ely Astro , ,

“ “ ”
n o my when they s ay the sun rises and the sun sets
, ,

and that the m oon w axes and wanes Indeed the arts and .
,

s ciences in general inas m uch as they c ome out Of periods of

,

i gnorance not to call the m children of falsi t ies are overrun

, ,

w ith fos s il re m ains o f departed theories and Opinions the ,

exis t ence of which is unkno w n except to the students o f

language .

By no m eans has Jesus left the i mm ediate cause of evil a

matter of deb ate By a very clear state m ent and as c lear an
.

implication he pl aced the source of evil in the heart o f man

,
.
 W ITH J E S U S THE S O UR C E OF E V IL Is T HE HL IIAN
'
H E AR T . 18 9

I cite his w or d s : N ot that whi ch goeth i n to the mouth d e

“

fil e th a m a n 5 but that w hich c o m eth out of his m outh t his ,

d e fil e t h a m an O ut o fthe hear t pro c eed evil thoughts m urder s

.
, ,

adulteries forni c ations theft s false w it n ess blasphe m ies 5 thes e

, , , ,
”
a r e th ings that d efile a m an
( Matt xv S t ill m ore em . .

“
phatic is Mark s report : There is no t hi n g from w ithout a
’

m a n that enteri n g into h im can defile hi m 5 but those things

, ,

”
that co m e out of him those are they that defile the m an ,

( vii
. F irst Observe here the ,
u n i v ersal negation there
”
is no thin g fr o m witho ut a m an that entering c a n defil e him .

If s o then neither c an I de fil e any one by en t ering into him 5

,

“ ”
for I a m relatively to m en fro m w it hout The adverb .

EE wfl e y de n otes the sour c e o r o rig irr o f te m ptation Then

’
.

observe that by his assigning m an s h e art as the origin and

,
’

s our c e of h is criminality he shu ts o ut any an d every other ,

su c h orig in and source In using lan gu age such as this c ould .

,

he have kno wn and ackno wle d ged a bein g existi ng ou t side

the hu m an race wh o had led the m into all crim e and all
,

w ret c hedness by enteri ng into E v e and exciting there so m e

guilty passion whatever t he schools may assume the impulse
,

to have been ?

And thus m y hi story leads me to record and celebrate

THE S U PRE M AOY OE JE Ho v AH .

J eh ov ah r eign s 5 l et h ev er y n at i on e ar ,

An d a t hi s f oots t ool
b w wi t h h ly f 5 o o e ar

L t h h igh h h w it h hi m ’
e eav en s ar c es e c o s na e,

A d t h wi d p pl d
n th hi p i p l im
e e -
eo e ear s ra se roc a

Th d it d w t h ll d p gl m u di g ’
en s en o n o e s ee oo r es o n n ,

Th ugh ll h
ro i d
a dful m m u di g
er cav e s n r ea ur u rs s o n n .

H ul with wi d
e r d b lu t
es mm d e an a so e co an

th b d t df t l d 5
’
O er d th
e r oa o cean an e s ea as an

J h h ig
e ov abu dd d l re n s, un o n e an a on e ,

A d ll n ti h g b t h hi t h
a cr e a on an s en e a s r on e

H ig s l i f i
-

e re 5 l t
n a on e t e no n er o r n a u r e

U p
s ur h t h thor s ft h C
ar e t e r on e o e r ea or .

M r s BARBAU LD
. .
190 THE P O ST -
A P O S T OL IC AG E xNo w L ITTLE OF S ATAN .

BOOK IV .

P E R OD I OF C OM P OS I TI O N : E L E V A TI O N .

CHAPT ER I .

E C C L E S IA S TI C A L H IS T O R Y .

S EC T ON I I .

T HE A P OS TOL I CAL F A TH ER S .

I AM attempting t o in terpret in the ear o f the world the

ev il c onsciousness o f the h uman race as felt in certain great
categories It w ould b e t o o bold an d painful a task to de
.

scrib e it as it exists in certain individuals 5 else w hat portraits

might b e dra wn of great political villains and great ecclesiastical
h ypocrites ! Yet such as these being the p ersonal e mbo di ,

ments o fthe lowest hu m an elements are the true devil s w hi c h ,

d egrade and infest humanity Shrinking fro m so ungrateful

.

a task I sketch my o wn hi story in the impressions given o f

,

me by wr iters o f greater o r less repute Those impressions .

I repro duce s o far as I can in their origin al form in order

, , ,

that my N atural History m ay stand before the reader in a

cre di ble shape The sketches though m ade by others may
.
, ,

b e said to contain m y personal experiences C ertainly they .

in union present so m ething lik e an historical portrait o fm y

self What the world has thought Ofme and what the w orld
.
,

has m ade me these pages directly o r indirectly reveal

,
.

The Shemitic monotheism o f the O ld Testam ent passed

into the wr itings of the N ew Testam ent with little adultera
tion D evilism and demonism appeared o n the lip s Of its
.
192 P O L YCA RP S L IGH TL Y TI N G ED W ITH S A TA N IS M .

it are directed by the same commands of the L ord The

, .

seasons of spring and summ er and autu mn and w inter give

place to each other in peace The stations of the w inds at t h e .

proper season perform their service w ithout hindrance The .

overflo wing fountains fashioned for enj oyment and health , ,

never fail to afl br d their breasts to nourish the life of m en .

And the s m allest of living things m eet t ogether in peace and

concord All these the Great F as hio n e r and L ord of all has
.

appointed t o be in peace an d c oncord 5 doing goo d to the

whole but exceeding abun d antly t o us wh o have fled for
,

refuge t o his m ercies through our L ord Jesus Christ to w ho m ,

be glory and m aj esty for ever and ever .

This c al m picture o f the un ivers e looks little like the shat

“ ”
t e r e d and distracted w orld o f t h e fallen angels as often ,

lugubriously described by m odern orthodoxy .

N ot once is m y nam e m entioned or my existence affirm e d

by Clemens R o m anus Thus far the church of Christ had .

preserved itself fro m marked de m onological taint .

The next apostolical F ather POL YCA R P is kn o w n to us , ,

fro m t h e writings of Iren aeus o fL yons in F rance ( 1 7 7 ,

w h o w hen he was a b oy s aw and heard the venerable m an and

, ,

n arrated his m artyrdo m Polycarp in d e alin g wi th the D ocetes

.
,

and the Marcionites of his day uses these w ords Whoever ,

does not confess that Jesus Christ is co m e in the flesh is anti

christ 5 and w ho ever does not confess the testi m ony of the
cross is o f the d evil 5 and whoever treats de c eitfully the
wor d s of the L ord to suit his own desires and says there is ,
”
no resurrection and no j udg m ent is the fi rs t b orn o fSatan ,
-
.

This is the only reference to m e left by Polycarp The ten .

d en c y of his remarks m akes it a m atter of doubt whether

by the d evil he m eant an adversary of Christian truth o r a
“ ”
personal being The phrase t h e fi rs t born of Satan
. is ,
-

m anifestly a figure of spee c h Whence it is likely that Poly .

A C ritical H ist or y o f C h r isti an L it er atur e an d D octr in e fr om t h e ,

D eath o f t h e A p o stl es t o t h e Ni c en e C o un cil B y J a m es D o n ald s o n , M A . . .

V ol . I p . . 112 . L on d on , 1 86 4 .
 T ST I E M ON Y or THE AP O S TOL IC FATH ER S . 19 3

c arp is answerable in this m atter only so far as e mploying the

usual i m agery o fh is ti mes .

THE EP IS TLE o r B A RN AB AS was probab ly written by a person

o f that n ame but wh o o r w hat he w as nothing is c ertainly ,
,

kno w n The w ork ho w ever is Christian in substance and

.
, ,

spirit and doubtless presents a specimen o fvery early Chris

,

tian thought F ree from the cob w ebs of O riental speculation

.
,

the writer is n o t free from the de m onolog y o fhis age O f

’
.

a ngels all that he says is that good angels are set over the
, ,

way o f light to guide m en t o the truth The devil and his .

angels are m ore frequently spoken o f He is said to have the .

po wer o fthis age to be the ruler o fthe season o finiquity 5 and

,

t h e writer is anxious that his readers should be o n their guard

a gainst him lest he find entrance into their hearts and ex
, ,

c lu d e them fro m the kingdo m o f the L ord The action o f .

t he devil through angels is also referred to He has angels .

set over the w ay of d ai k n e s s to lead m en to ruin The fatal .

erro rs o fthe Jews are ascribed to the be wildering and bewitch

ing po w er o fan evil angel and the hear t of m an before con ,

version is described as a habitation o f demons It is also .

s aid that all the w icked shall be destroyed with the wicked

THE P A S TOR O F HER MA S — a practical rather than a do ctrinal

,
—
work divided into three books Visions C o mm ands and ,

Sim ilit udes and designed to lead t h e so ul to God speaks

,
—
s o m e w hat o fangels and more o fthe devil prob a bly as utter
, ,

ing the author s o wn opinions but possibly as a part of t h e

’

s tr u cture and i m agery o f his artificial co m positio n Angels .

a ppear in his pages as e m ployed in so m e w ork 5 good ange l s

in works o fgoo d ness and w icked angels in evil d ee d s While

,
.

the story o fthe fallen angels is not introdu c ed t h e reader is ,

told that Go d entrusted the whole creation to six angels w ho m ,

he fir s t m ade t o in c rease and ru le over it Six other holy

, .

angels are also m en tioned wh o are inferior to the for m er .

Those wh o were first created were als o c alled by God into his
counsel in regar d to the salvation of m an .

0
194 or J U S TIN MAR TY R .

The devil is mentioned especially as t h e enemy o f Chris

tians In their pilgrimage they are tempted by the devil
.
, ,

who lies in wait fo r them and plans mischief against them .

Ye t Chris tians are n o t t o fear him If they put their trust .

in Go d the devil will give way He is hard indeed and sure

, .

t o wrestle but he must yield

, O nly those wh o waver have .

reason t o fear the devil Christian s are t o fear the deeds o f

.

'
t h e devil All do ubt comes from him 5 from him comes evil
.

desire F alse prophets are filled with his spirit which is an

.
,

earthly spirit He is most wicked

. .

This is ecclesiastical commonplace the language o fordinary ,

religious gymnastics which probably involves an underlying

,

recognition o fme as a p ers on but which may b e explained ,

by the theory o fmy being a person ification o f evil and so an ,

enemy o fGo d and man .

In agreement with Josephus JU S TIN THE M A R TY R ( 1 4 5 A D ) ,

’
.

believed that the demons were the soul s o fw icke d men sep a ,

rated from their bo di es This opinion was generally spread

.

among the Greek and the Ro man Christians 5 nevertheless ,

it did not become dominant in the Church w hose doctors ,

almost unanimously taugh t that the devils were corrupted by

the abuse o ftheir liberty and that fall ing the m selves they, , ,

introduced sin into the w orld It was also the general o p i .

nion that li ke the angels they had bodily for m s but o fless
, , ,

subtle matter although less gro s s than that o f the hum an

, ,

frame 5 for they held that a being that had n o body was in
capable o fpunishm ent Most o fthe apologists o fChristianity
.

affir m ed that the devils fed o n the smoke o f the incense

o fl e r e d in idol worship as well as the odours o fthe pagan
’

sacrifices This Opinion w a s ho w ever re futed by Augustin

.
, , ,

who declared that they fed o human errors a diet more

n — ,

suited fo r the mind than the body and which suggests that ,

the saintly F ather who not seldom changed his opinions and
, ,

was at first even imbued with the Manichean h eresy in ,

d ulg e d in what more robust believers would regard as o n this

point a dusky d r e amm ess .
 96 MA N S
’
ST RU GG LE AGA IN S T THE DE V IL .

into it together w ith envying and ri v alry confusion an d every

, ,
”
e vil work James iii and forgetting that the Sup r em e
( .

R uler o ft he universe is not the author ( o r the tolera tor) O f

confusion but o fpeace ( 1 Cor xiv
, . .

And yet lest they should overdo their dark w or k and drive
,

their supporters to despair the ecclesiastics taught the m that

, ,

after all I was not so very formidable for that I and mine
, ,

might be put t o flight by fasts by prayer by exorcism o r , , ,

even by the S ign o ft h e cross A struggle indeed w as needful .

,

and it m ay be said that m an s life especially his m oral life ’

, ,

was from first to last a stru g gle He had t o struggle not o nl y .

against earth but also hell 5 not only against his o wn passions
, ,

but against a monster who took a fiendish pleasure in s t imu

lati n g t hem ceaselessly 5 s o that there was n o natu ral t ran
quill ity no S pontaneous and su c cessive growth in individuals
,

o r society but all was tur m oil and confli c t leading mostly to
, ,

defeat after defeat which could be repaired only by the magic

,

o fpriestly incantations And here in this internal c onfusio n

.

there w as also an outer confusion o fdoctrine and exhortation .

At o n e mo m ent I was all but omnipotent 5 at another I could

b e overco m e by a drop or two o f holy water N o w wh en it .
,

suited the purpose o fthe sacerdotal m agician I was raging ,

around a tempted soul sure t o gain my prey by persistence 5

,

n o w I w as sent down into inter minable banishment by the

perseveranc e Of a saint 5 but only t o be brought up again o ut

o fthe abyss t o terrify and be overcome o r t o overcome and to ,

be at last foiled by sacerdotal gu ile o r force Most rep ulsive .

as w ell as most signal was the work assigned t o me every time

a new b orn babe cam e forth fro m its m other s womb Then
-
’
.

and there no m atter how frequent the births n o r how numerous

, ,

—
the w ide w orld over then and there , whether in the arctic o r
the antar ctic regions at t h e equator o r at either pole in E urope
, , ,

Asia Afric a and the

,
t w o m —
A ericas then and there at every ,

second of tim e and in every p oint of space I had t o be present , ,

to sei z e that babe and make it m y o w n by entering into its

soul an d taking possession o fit Yet be there but an orthodox .
,
 THE —
C LE M EN TINE S z G RO S S S U P ER S TITI ON . 19 7

prie s t at hand I a m the next m oment driven o u t and h e ( or

, ,

she h o wa s a c hild of the devil a c hild of w rath and under

) w , ,

—
its Maker s curse beca m e ( and over three fo urths of the Chur c h
’

still be c o m es ) a c hild o fgrace dear to its Creator and an heir , ,

o feternal life thro u gh the m erits of Jesus Christ and p er m z s sa

’

s up er i o r um o r the a c t o fthe rector of the parish

,
In the degree .

i n whi ch the darkness of the m iddle ages gre w thicker and

thi c ker the ec c lesiastical demonology received fresh develop
,

ments and superstition established in the popular Christianity

,

a veritable dualis m dividin g the world between God an d m e , ,

though assign in g to m e by far the larger S hare o f po wer and

dominion O f these develop m ents I shall give so m e a c c oun t
.

in their more striking instances Mean whil e I m us t finish .

this general o utline .

S EC T ONI II .

T HE C LE M E NTIN ES .

THE CLE M EN TINE S consisting of the Clementine R ecog ,

=

” “
n it io n s and the Cle m entine H o m ilies and includin g t h e ,

“ ”
Procla m ation ( o r Gospe l) o f Peter and the Travels of ,

Peter if as their name indicates written by Cle m ent Of R o m e

,
”
, , ,

are a very early product of Christian thought w hi c h any w ay ,

c annot b e brought do w n later than the beginnin g o fthe thi rd

*
c entury These p Ie ce S I canno t altoge t her pass over if only
.
,

that they reflect t h e thought and sp ir it o f t h e earlier ages o f

the Church more vividly if not o n the Judai c side m ore , , ,

exa c tly than any o n e of t h e F athers in as m u c h as they are free ,

c o m p ositions or in plain E nglish ficti ons illustrative and

, , ,

c o m mendatory o f a certain st le of Christian thought They

y .

also in their introdu c tion of distinguished na m es su c h as

, ,

Cle m ent Peter Andre w Z a c ch e u s &c exe mplify a practic e

, , , ,
.
,

by no m eans unco m m on in those early days by w hi c h atten ,

tion was innoce n tly and alm ost unconsciously claim ed for
Di e Ho mili en '

un d Rec og n it io n e n d e s C em en s R o man u s , l v on G erar d

Uhlh o r n . 1 v ol . 8vo . G ottin g en ,
1 854 .
 S A TA N S M U TAB IL ITY
’
.

ideas and statements o f which t h e anonym o us author and

authors were th e z ealous but unavowed advocates Bearing .

this character the Clementines serve t o thro w a strong ligh t

,

o n some points in which I am deeply concerned especially m

y ,

alleged connection with magic and the occult sciences IV hat .

a w onder worker the magician was held t o h e may b e learnt

-

from the account give n o f himself by Simon Magus that is ,

Simon the Magician wh o is mentioned in the book o fActs ,

( viii
. 9 — 1 3 ) as conver t ed by Philip and rebuked and repelled ,

—
by Peter ( 1 8 2 4 )
“
I a m able t o render myself invisible t o thos e wh o wish
t o lay hold o fme and again t o be visible when I am willing t o
,

be seen If I wish t o flee I can dig through the mountains

.
, ,

and pass through rocks as if they were clay If I should .

thro w myself headlo n g from a lofty mountain I should be ,

borne unh urt t o the e arth as if I w ere held up Being S hut , .

up in priso n I can make the barriers open o ftheir o wn accor d

, .

I can render statues animated S O that those w h o see suppose ,

they are men I can make new trees suddenly spring up

.
,

and produc e sprouts at once I can throw myself into the .

fire and n o t be burnt I can change my c ountenan c e so that.

,

I can n ot be recognized ; and I can shew people that I have

t w o faces I shall c h ange m yself into a sheep o r a goat 5 I
.

shall m ake a beard t o grow U p o n little boys ; I shall a scend

by flight into the an 5 I shall exhibi t abundance o f gold and ,

S hall make and un m ake kings 5 I shall be worshiped as Go d .

And what need o f more w ords ? Whatever I wish I am ,

able to d o F o r already I have achieved m any things by way

.

o f e x perimen t III short once when m y m other R achael

.
,

o rdered me t o go t o the fie l d t o reap and I s a w a si c kle ,

lyin g I ordered it t o go an d reap 5 and it reaped ten times

,

m ore than the reapers L ately I prod uced m any new sprouts
.

from the earth and made them bear leaves and fruit in a
,

m o m ent and the nearest mountain I succe s sfully bored

through .

The R e co g n it i o f C l e me t 9 on s n ,
II . .
 00 P E TER S H ERE S Y AB OU T
’ “
THE FA LL .
”

c ian s , and the magicians control angels as w ell as demons my ,

p ower extends from earth to heaven and sprea d s thr oughout ,

the heavenly hosts E ven P eter recogniz es the power o ft he

.

m agician
“
Si m on is a minister o f evil t o them wh o know n o t the
truth Therefore he has p ower t o bring diseases o n sinners
. .

By that evil working magician then yo u ( the Tyrians ) were

-

, ,
”
stricken wit h diseases because yo u revolted from Go d .

( Chap .

I am however n o t without a fear that exception may be

, ,

tak en t o the authority I have cited Yo u are surprised ? .

“Tell m ay you be surprised and more ground fo r surprise will

,

y o u have when yo u hear what I am about t o cite — word s

which I a m s ure would convict the apostle Peter the rock o f ,

the Church o fran k heresy in any ecclesiastical co u r t o fChris

,

t en d o m Yo u are not ig norant o f the orthodox d o ctrine o f

.

“
the fa ll o fthe angels and the fall o fman N OW listen
t o Peter s state m ents o n these points
’

The only good God m ade all things well and handed the m
over to man who was made after his im age and breathed o f
, ,

the D ivinity by whom he was made Moreover he appointed .

,

t o t h em a perpetual law By obe di ence to the law they h ad

.

—
all things in ab undance the fairest o ffruits fulness o fyears , ,

freedo m from disease and grief with all salubrity o f t h e air ,

.

But they because they had at first n o experienc e o f evils

, ,

being insensi ble to the gift o f good things were turned t o ,

ingratitude by abundanc e o f food and luxuries s o that they ,

even thought that there is no Providence But then they .

were overtaken by a certain j ust punishment following fro m ,

a certain arranged harmony removing from them good things ,

as having hur t the m and introducing evil things instead a s

, ,

advantageous This misconduct led the angels t o ask God

.

to allow them t o enter into the li fe o fm en in order t o corre c t ,

the m The request was granted Whereupon the an gels m e

. .

t am o rph o s e d themselves into various n atures 5 fo r being o f a ,

more godlike substance they are able easily to assume an y

,
 HOW M EN OAM E To E AT A N IM A L FO OD . 2 01

for m So they beca m e precious s t ones and goodly pearls and

.
,

the m ost beauteous purple and choi c e gold And they fell .

into the hands o f so m e and into the boso m o f others and

, ,

s ufl er e d the m selves to b e stolen by the m They also changed .

the m selves into beasts and reptiles and fishes and birds But ,
.

when havin g assu m ed these form s w ith a vie w to the good

,

o fm e n they became in all resp ects as men 5 so they partook

,

o f hu m an lust and being brought into subj ection to it they

, ,

fell into cohabitation with w o m en and sank in d e fil e m en t , , ,

beca m e unable to turn back to the first purity o ftheir prop er

nature Wh erefore they have never been able to ascend into
.

the heavens again Wishing to please their m istresses they

.
,

o t charmed s t ones from the bo w els o fthe earth a n d i m p art e d

g ,

the dis c overy o f magi c and taught astronomy and the po wers
,

o froots 5 also t h e m elting of gold and silver and the various ,

d yeing o f gar m ents And all things in short which are for
.
, ,

the adorn m ent and d elight o fw o m en are the dis c overies o f ,

these demons bound in flesh But from their unhallo w ed in .

t e r c o urs e spurious m en sprang m uch greater in statur e than ,

o rdinary men who were afterwards called giants — wild in

manners an d huge in size inas m u c h as they w ere sprun g o f

,
'

a ngels ,
yet less than angels as they w ere born Of w o m en , .

Therefore God kno wing that they were barbariz ed t o bru

,

tality t hat they might not from wan t o f food turn to the
, , ,

e ating o f a nimals rained down showers o f manna o n the m

,

s uited t o their various tastes and they enj oyed all that they ,

woul d But o n ac c o u nt o f th eir bastard nature n o t being

.
, ,

pleased with purity o f food they longed only after the taste ,

o f blood Wh erefore they then first tasted flesh An d the

. .

m en wh o were with the m fo r the first time w ere eager to do

“

t h e like But when irrational anim als fell short men also ate
.
,

hum an flesh 5 fo r it wa s n o t a long step t o the consu mption

o fflesh like t h e n o wn when they had tasted it in other for m s
,
.

The d efil em e n t s that ensued led Go d to destroy with a flood

all men except N oah and his three sons with their wiv es and ,

their c hildren Then God gave a law to them and their de

.
20 2 A FR A G M EN T OF THE L O S T W R ITIN G S or IREN E US .

s c en d an t s,
to the effect that every o n e wh o worships demon s
o r sacrifices to the m o r part akes w ith them o f their table
, ,

shall b eco m e subj e c t t o them and receive all pun i shment fro m
the m as being under wicked lords
, .
”

And s o you see my intelligent friend that w hile on the

, , ,

authority o fPeter I am exempted from the se rpent w ork whi c h

,

orthodoxy attributes t o me I nevertheless exercise all but ,

b oun dl ess power over men fallen angels and demo n s The , .

sole restriction put o n that authority is e ffectual resistance t o

my te mpta tions on t h e part o f G o d s intelligent creatures
’

whose feebleness is m ade full y manifest by the account you

ha v e j ust heard o f the origin o f evil from the lips o f t h e
apostle Peter who under Christ is the head o fthe Church
, , , ,

the infallible Pope included Fo r myself I have n o c o m plaint

.
,

o f i n j ustice or harshness to make against the R ock 5 but I ”

do think he has fallen rather heavil y o n the ladies and I ,

shall be surprised if in these days of agitation about wo m en s

,
’

”
rights a great nu m ber o f them do n o t shew by their s e ce s
,

sion from so ungallant a body as Peter s bachelor Chur ch

’

that they have a better chance of being j u s tly treated by even

m e than by the priests 5 w hile I am sure that I a most ,

m aligned potentate have solid grounds for expecting fai r

,

treatment from the fair sex .

A stinted reparation t o Ev e and her descendants is ho w ever

made in the following extract o n e o fthe “Fragments o fthe ,

lost Writings o fIren aeu s bishop o fL yons in F rance 1 7 7

,
”

which I quote the rather beca use it is m ore te m perate

than most o fwhat is said o fme by the ecclesiastical F athers ,

and w il l serve as a link in the line in whi ch I unfold their

demonology
“
HOW is it po s sible t o say that the se rpent created by ,

God dumb and irrational was endowed w ith reason and ,

S peech
? F or if it had the p ower o f itself t o speak t o dis ,

cern t o understand and to reply to what was spoken by the

, ,

wo m an there would have been nothing t o prevent every

,

serpent fr o m doing this also If however they say again that .

, ,
204 P HY S I CA L RU C TURE
ST O F THE S ER PEN T V ERY S U P ER I OR .

that she was also m ortal But ifm ortal then there was cer
.
,

t ain l y no curse 5 nor was that a con d e m natory sentence when

‘
the voice o fGod sp oke t o the m an F o r earth thou art and , ,

unto earth shalt thou return ( Gen iii as the true course
’
. .

o fthi ngs proceeds n o w and always The n again if the ser .

, ,

pent observed the wo m an not eating how did he indu c e her ,

t o e a t wh o never had eaten ? And wh o p o In t e d o u t to this

ac c ursed man slaying serpent tha t the sentence o fdeath pro
-

n o u n c e d against the m by God w ould not take eff ect when he ,

said F or in the day that ye eat thereof ye shall surely die ?

, ,
’

An d n o t this merely bu t that along with the i m punity the

, , ,

eyes o fthose should be opened wh o h ad not seen until then ?

But with t he opening o f their eyes referred to they made ,
”
entranc e up o n th e path o fdeath .

Had the w riter allo wed his o wn logic t o have its full force
in his mind he would not have descended to the abusive terms
, ,

“ —
thi s accursed m an slaying s erpent 5 fo r t he tenor o f what
he says goes to she w that the W hole story taken in its ordinary ,

acceptation is un t rue and s o t o acqu it me o f c omplicit y in the

, ,

alleged transaction But here real k n o wl ad g e steps in to

.

u tter the most decided and irrefragable N o l t o the narra ”

ti v e which breaks do wn at its centre and so altogether and

, ,

i rreparably Fo r the serpent which is that centre is not n o w

.
, , ,

n o r ever was under a curse

,
bu t o n the contrary shews forth
,

the blessedness o fthe D ivine presence in the admirable s t ru c

ture with which it is endowed fo r the fulfilment o fthe D ivine
p urposes I cite the words o f o n e o f the high priests o f
.
-

s cience

Most annotators t o Scripture represent serpents as t h e

progeny o f a transmute d species degraded from its origin al ,

form as the penal c onsequen c e Of its instrumentality in the

te mptation o fE ve Thus D rs D Oyly and Mant in the edi
. .
’

tion o fthe Bible printed under the dire c tio n o f the Society
for the Promotion o fChristian K no wledge ( ed write .

The curse upon the serpent consisted first in bringing down

his st a ture w hich was probably in great measure er ect before
,
 S C IEN C E C O N TRAD IOTS F AB LE . 20 5

‘
this time upon thy belly shalt thou go or upon t h y ,
’

breast as som e versions have it Secondly in the meannes s

,
’
.
,

o f its provision and d ust shalt thou eat 5 inasmuch as ’

creeping upon the ground it can not but lick up much dust ,

together w ith its food Almost every c ommentator writes

.
’

u n d er the sa m e i m pression o f the special and penal degrada

tion o f the serpent to its present form But w hen the la w s .

o fthe s c ience o fani m ated nat ure for m par t o fthe preli m inary

s tudies o fthe th eo l ogist he w ill appreciate the futility o fsuch

,

a ttempts to expound the sy m b olic t ext as if i t were a state

ment of m at t er o f fact What Z oology and Anato m y have .

unfolded o fthe nature o f serpents in their pre s ent condi t ion

a mounts to this : that their parts are as exquisitely adj usted

t o the form of t he ir whole and to thei r habits and sphere o f ,

life as is the organization o fany anim al whi c h in the terms

, ,

o f absolute co m p arison w e call superior t o the m It is true

,
.

t hat the serpent has no li mbs 5 yet it can o ut climb the

*

mo n key o ut s w im the fish o u t leap the j erboa an d suddenly

,
-

,
-

loo s ing the coils Of its crouching spiral it can spring so high ,

into the air as to seize the bird upon the wm g 5 thus all those
c reatures fall its prey The serpent has neither h ands nor
.

c la w s 5 yet it can o u t w restle the athlete and crush the tiger

-

i n the e mbrace o fits o v erlapping folds F ar from licki n g up .

its food as it glides along the serpent lift s up its cru shed prey , ,

a n d presents it grasped in the death coil as in a hand to

,
-

the gaping mouth It is truly wonderful t o s e e the work of

.

hands feet fins performed by a m ere m o di fi c ation o f its ver

, , ,

t ebral c ol u mn But t he vertebr ae are specially modified to

.

c o mpensate by the strength o f their indivi dual artic ul ations

fo r the weakness o f their manifold repetition and o fthe c o n ,

s e quent elongation o f the slender column But what m ore .

particularly concerns us in the relation o f the serpent to o ur

o wn histor y is the pal aeontological fact that these ophidian ,
*
peculiarities and complexities o fcranial and vertebral organi
“
The bon y gm t
se en s or v er t e b r ae Of b th
o t he h d ea an d t he t r un k ,
a lth ugh d
o ev e olpd e di g ta cc or n o t he co mmo n v ert e b t t yp
ra e e, are mo idfi d e
20 6 TR A D ITI ON A L THE O L O GY UNDER M INED .

z ati o n ,
in d e signed subserviency to a prone position and a
gliding progress o n the belly were given with their poison , ,

apparatus by the Creator to the serpents o f that early ter

, ,

t iar y period o f o ur planet s history w hen in the progressive

’

, ,

preparation of the dr y land but few and those only the , ,

lo w er organiz ed species now o ur c ontemporaries had b een

cal led into existence before any of the actual ki nds of M am
, , ,

—
m alia ( the clas s to whi c h man belong s ) trod the earth and ,

long ages before the creation o fman I Biblical commentator s

in this matter have erred kn o wing o n l y or believing that , ,

‘
they knew the S cripture and not knowin g the po w er of
, ,

God The admo n i tion o fC hrist has been needed in all ti m es

.
’

,
”
and is partic ul arly applicable to the present time .

If now m y b eloved co m panion you cast your mi nd back

, ,

o n the survey I have set be f ore you o fthe hi ghest ecclesiasti

—
cal authorities those to who m the Papal and the Protestant
Ch urch are ali ke indebted for the substance of their doctrine
and the for m of their w orship 5 if you carefully observe the
chara c ter o f their state of mind and the diversity in their ,

s everal views and opinions on even central points 5 and if you

receive as true m y statement that this is that tradition o n
”
which the present ecclesiastical organizations stand at ease ,

fo r e xp f u ti i t h
r ess en d s l tb t p i ; di
an d nc on s n e s e v er a v er e ra e s e c es an n a

g t d
r ea er g f x m pl i
e r ee , th p t t
or h ie m a T h qu
e, m u n e se r en an n an . e s a o s

p i ipl f tu i h
r nc e o i d su t t re xt m Th
s er e i l g
c ar r e ou o an e re e . e cran a se

m t ft h
en s o k ull h th d e s wi th i t h th
ar e s d th b ea i eh on e n e o er , an e on e n eac ,

b i g f g t d it y d t h i k
e n o r ea ppli
en s p ilp ii gi t
an c n e ss , su es a s ec a r o v s on a a ns

th d e g t whi h i t w l d b bj t f m f lli g b di
an ers o c d th t
ou d e su ec ro a n o es an e r ea

o fh y b t Th wh l g i t i f p t i pl t with u h
e av e as s . e o e o r an z a on o s er en s s re e e s c

i t
n s a n ce s fd i g i l ti t t h
o es d n f th i n p d l ( f tl )
re a on o e n ee s o e r a o a oo ess v er

m if m h or t ju t t h
c k lik
ar ac er l i mp s t d by
as l ge sn a e -
e ee s co en sa e an a o ous

m difi ti m g t fi h k li k ti p d m g i t ”
o ca d th
on s a on s s es , an e sn a e -
e cen e e a on n se c s .

P f Ow
r o e s s or i th L t d ib d i t h xt t
en n e e c ur e es cr e n e ne no e .

Th P w
“
fG d e m if t d i hi A i m l C
o er o o ti as L an es e n s n a rea on : a ec

t ur ed li d b f t h Y u g M
e v er e C h i ti
e or e A i ti e N 17
o n en s
’
r s an s soc a on ,
ov .
,

1 8 6 3 by P f
,
Ri h d Ow r o esso r c —
pp 2 1 2 4 L d
ar en , . . on on :

L gmon 1 86 4 an ,
.
20 8 FAB LE S A ND F AB LE S .

BOOK V .

P ER OD I OF C OM P OS I TI ON D E BA S E M E N T .

C HAPTER I .

MY FA BU L O U S HISTO RY .

I
S E C T ON I .

HOW EV E F EL L : T HE M OHAM E D AN A BL E
F .

VE NER AB LE Teacher I cannot quite u ndersta n d what dis

,
e

tin ction you intend when you speak Of your fabulous his
”
tory : is n o t the whole a fable ?
’
In a certain sense it is .

My history considered as the history Of a pers on is a pure

, ,

fable o r an unc onscious fiction the gro wth Of age s Of specula

,

tion o n the origin Of what men call evil But there are fables .

and fables F ables vary with their authors 5 and never was
.

there a greater variety Of authors and Of fables tha n in m y case ,

said o r sung as I have been by the Aryan m ind as well as the

,

Shemitic in nearly their high est and lowe s t tones And it i s

,
.

j ust this variety that I w ant t o put before yo u since it inv olves ,

that uni v ersality whi c h defeats the claim o f the ecclesiastic

sp e ciality and establishes the i mp ortant fact that everywher e
,

and at all tim es men have speculated o n t he origin Of sin and co m e

to pretty nearly t h e sa m e conclusion , w hether arrayed in the
philosop h ical garb Of an Augustin o r enshrouded in an ar c haic
,

Mexican group Offigures It is Ofthis lower ele m ent I think

.

when I speak Of my fabulous history N ot a fe w opinions .

Of it have I collected during my travels I sele c t t w o as least .

unworthy w hile faithfully descriptive Of c ertain states Of

,
 THE M O HAM ED AN ACC O UN T OF THE F AL L .
”
9

min d and of the d ebase m ent of conception under which I

,

have gone in less ancient ti m es .

In the m idst of para di se there stoo d a sil ken tent supported ,

o n golden pillars and in the m idst of i t there was a throne

, ,

o n w hich Adam seated hi m self with E ve Where u pon the .

c urtains o fthe tent closed around them of their o wn ac cord .

When Ada m and Eve were afterwards w alki n g through the

arden Gabriel ca m e and co mm anded them in the n a m e of
“

g ,

All ah t o go and bathe in o n e o fthe four rivers o fparadise .

“
Allah him self then said to them I have app ointed this ,

garden for your abode 5 it will shelter yo u fro m cold and heat ,

fro m hunger and thirst Take at your discretion o f every

.

thing that it contains 5 only o n e of i ts fruits shall be d enied

y o u
. Beware that ye transgress not this o n e co m m and and ,

w atch against the wily ra n c our o fIbli s He is your ene m y .

,

becau se he wa s overthro w n o n your accoun t 5 his cunning is

”
infinite and he aim s a t your destruction
, The newly created .
-

pair attended to Al lah s words and liv ed a long ti m e s

’

, ,

say fi ve hundred years in paradise without approaching the

, ,

forbi d den tree But Iblis als o h ad listened t o All ah and

“

.
,

resolvi n g to lead m an into sin w andered constantly in the ,

o utskirts o f heaven seeki n g to glide u nobservedly in to para

,

dise But i ts gates were shut and gu arded by the angel

.

Ri d w ha n O ne day the pea c o c k c am e o u t of the garden He

. .

w as t hen the finest of the birds o f paradise f . o r his plu m age ,

shone like pea rl and e m erald and his voice was so m elodious ,

that h e was appointed to sing the praises o fAllah daily in

the prin cipal high ways o fheaven Iblis on seeing hi m said .
, ,

t o hi m self D oubtless this b eautiful bird is very vain 5 per

,

haps I m ay b e able to indu c e h im by flattery to take m e

se cretly into the garden When the pea c o c k had gone so far
.

from the gates that he c ould no longer be overheard by

“
Rid whan Iblis said to h im
,
Most wonderful and beautiful
,

“ ”
bird ! art thou o f the birds Of paradise 2 I am 5 but w h o
ar t t hou wh o s ee m es t frig h tened as if s ome one did pursue
,
2 10 THE S R E P EN T Ev E s
’
P L AYMA ‘TE .

thee ? I am o n e of the c herubim wh o are appointed to sin g

without c easm g th e praises of Allah but have glided a w ay for ,

an inst ant to visit the p aradise which he has prepared for the
faithful Wilt thou conceal me unde r thy beautiful wings ?
.
”

Why should I do an act which must bring the di s pleasure ,

”
of Al lah up on me ? “
Take me with thee char min g bird , ,

and I will teach t he e three mysterious w ords which sh all

”
preserve thee from sickness age and death Must the n the
, .

inhabitants of paradise die ? “

All w ithout ex c ep t ion wh o
”
kno w not the three w ords whi c h I p ossess Speakest thou .

”
the truth ? By Al lah the Almi ghty l
The peacock b elieved h i m for did he not s w ear by his ,

Maker ? Yet fearing lest Ri d w h an might search hi m to o

,

closely on his retu n he refused to t ake Iblis along with hi m

r
, ,

but promise d to send out t h e serpent w h o migh t more e asil y .

dis c over t h e means of introducing hi m un o bserv e dl v into the

garden .

N o w the serpent w a s at first the queen o f all beasts Her .

head w a s like rubies and her eyes like e m er al ds Her skin

,
.

shone like a m irror of various hues Her hair w as soft like .

th at of a noble virgin and her for m rese m bled the statel y

,

camel 5 her breath w as s w eet li ke musk and am ber and all ,

her w ords w ere songs of praise She fe d on s affron an d her .

,

restin g places w ere o n the blo o m ing borders Of the b eautiful

-

Cantharus ( one of the rivers Of paradise ) She w a s c r eated .

a thousand years b efore Adam and destined to be the play ,

mate Of Ev e The serpent ran forth out Of the gate and

.
,

Iblis repe ated to her w hat he had said to the peaco c k “

Ho w .

can I t ake thee into paradise unobserved ? I wil l con tract

”
m yself so that I shall fin d ro om in the c avity o fthy teeth .

I h e n the y had passed Bid wh an the serpent op ened her

V
,

m outh but Iblis preferred to sp eak to Adam fro m that place

,

of c on c e al m ent and in her na m e .

Arrived at E ve s tent Iblis heaved a heavy sigh the first

’
—
,

“
w hi c h envy had forc ed fro m any living breast Why art .

thou s o cast do wn to d ay m y b eloved serpent ? inquired

,
 12 DE PA R T Y E C UR S ED
, ,

towards heaven hi s rings fell from his finger s and his silk en
, ,

rob e dropped from hi s body E ve t o o stood spoil ed of her

.
, ,

ornaments and naked before hi m and they heard h o w all ,

th ese thi ngs Cried to them w ith one voic e “

Woe unto y ou
your calamity is great and your mour n i n g w ill b e long We
, .

w ere made only for the ob e di en t — fare w ell until the resur
re ction Th e throne which had been erected for them in
”
the tent thrust them aw ay and cried Bebel s depart l ,

The horse M eim u n on whi ch Ada m attempted to fly w ould

, ,

not s n fi er himto m ount 5 saying Hast thou thus kept the

,

coven an t of Allah
All the creatures of paradise then turned fro m the m and ,

besought All ah to remove the human pair from that hallo wed
spot Allah addressed Adam in a voice of thunder and said
.
, ,

Wast thou not co mmanded to abstain fro m this frui t and ,

forewarned of the cun ning o fIblis thy fo e Adam atte mpted

,

to flee fro m thes e upbraidings and Ev e would have follo w ed

,

h im 5 but he w a s held fast b y the branches Of the tre e Talh and ,

E v e was entangled in her o wn dishevelled hair w hile a voice ,

fro m the tree ex claim ed F ro m the wrath of Allah there is

no e s cap e s ubmi t to his divine de c ree
w
L eave this para .
”

”
dise continued Allah in tones of w rath 5
,
both you and
the c reatur es w hich have seduced you to transgress 5 by t h e
sweat of your brow sh al l yo u earn your bread : the e arth
sh all he n ceforth b e your ab ode and its p ossessions shall fill
,

yo u r hearts w i t h envy and m alice Ev e sha ll be vi sited w ith

.

all kinds of si ckness and bear children in p ain The p e acock

,
.

shall b e deprived of his voice an d the serpent of her feet

, .

The dark es t caverns of the earth shall be her dwellin g place -

dust shall b e her foo d and to kill her bring seven fold reward
,
-
.

But Ib lis shall depart into the eternal pains of hell

Hereupon they w er e hurled do w n from p ar adise Adam .

was flung out through the gate OfR epentan ce teachi ng him ,

that he mi ght retur n thr ough contrition 5 E v e through the

gate o fMercy 5 and the serp ent through the gate OfWrath ; but
 N T O E VERL A S TIN G
I F I RE .
”
213

Iblis through the gate of Curse And Allah said You dis .

obedient and i mpenitent ones shall suffer the pains of ever

lasting fir e but the faithful shall b e blessed in paradise
,
.

Ada m and Ev e lam ented so lou dly th at the east win d ,

c arried E ve s vo i ce to A d a m whil e the w est wind bore his to

’

Ev e .

The tears fi o w e d at l ast in such torrents from Adam s eyes ’

that those of h is right eye set the Euphrates a flo wing and ,

those of hi s left eye the Tigris All nat ure wept with h im
,
.

and e ntreated Allah for pardon Al lah sent Gabriel t o him .

with t hes e w ords

“
There is no Go d besides t hee I have s in ned 5 but for .

give m e t hrough Moham ed thy last an d greatest prophe t ,

.

As soon as Adam had p r o n oun ce d t hes e w ords the gates

’

“
o f heaven fl e w o en and the angel Gabriel c ried Allah
p , ,

h as ac c epted thy repentan c e 2

At the sam e ti m e th e angel Mi chael was sent to Ev e eu ,

n o un c in
g forgiveness to her als o .

Iblis e mb oldened by the pardon o f t h e hum an p air v en

, ,

t ur e d also t o pray for a m itigat ion of his sentence and o h ,

t ain e d its postpone m ent until the resurrection as w ell as an ,

u nl imited po wer over tran s gressors w h o do not a c cept the

“
w ord of Allah Where shall I d well in the m ean time ? ”
.

“
In ruins in to m b s and all o t her un cle an places
, ,
Wha t .
”

shall b e my foo d ? “
All things slain in the name of idols
”
.
”

Ho w shall I q uench m y thir st With wi n e and in t o x i

c ating liquors
“
Wh at shall occupy m y leisure hours ?
.
”

,
—
Mu s i c song love poetry and d an c ing
,
“
What is my .
”

“
w at c h w ord The curse of All ah until t h e day ofjudg m ent , .

But h o w shall I cont end w ith m an ? F o r every m a n t h at

is born there shall c o m e into the w orld seven evil spirits
,

but they shall be po w erless against the faithful .

b
Bi li ca L e l g d en s o ft h e M us su l m an s ,
by D r . G W e il
. . L on d on , 1 8 40 .
214 S A TA N ,
IN THE S HAP E or AN OL D MA N

S EC T ON I II .

T HE D E V IL S WI TH S TAND T HE A P OS TL E AND R E W IN T HE CI T Y or

MAN E A TE R S
-
.
”

When the apostle Andrew at the co mm and o f Christ wa s

preaching the gospel in the city o fthe man eaters he was with -

stood by m e in person w hereupon he addressed me in these

,

terms W o e to thee the devil the enemy o f Go d and to

, , ,

thine ange l s ; for the strangers here wh o preach Christ have

d one nothing to thee 5 and how hast thou brought o n them
t his punish m ent h o w lo n g dost thou war against t he human
race ? Thou dids t cause Ada m to be expelled fro m paradise ,

and didst cause men t o be mixed up with transgression 5 and

the L ord was enraged and brough t o n the deluge s o as to,

sweep m e n away And hast thou made thy appearance in

.

this city t o o in order that thou m ayes t expose the men eaters
,
-

to execration and destruction th inking in thyself that Go d ,

w ill s weep a way the work o f his hands ? If there be a n y

punish m ent prepared it is for the sake o f taking vengeanc e
,
”
o n thee .

Behold the devil appeared in the likeness o f an o ld man

, ,

and b egan to say in the midst o fall W o e unto yo u because ,

you are now dying having no food R ise up and make

,
.
,

sear c h for o n e who has come to the city a stranger named ,

Andrew and kill h im in order tha t hencefor w ard yo u m ay

, ,
”
be able to c ollect your food .

And Andre w s aw t h e devil as he was talking t o the m ul

t it u d e but the devil did not see the blessed Andre w
,
Then .

Andrew ans w ered the d evil and said O Belial m ost , , ,

fiendish 5 thou art the fo e o f every creature 5 but m y L ord

”
Jesus Christ wil l bring thee down to the abyss And the .

devil having heard this said I hear thy voice indeed and , , ,

I kno w thy voice but where thou ar t standing I know n o t

,
.

And Andrew answered and said to the devil Why then , , , ,

art thou called S amael ? Is it not because thou art blind n o t ,

216 J E S US APPEARS To A ND R E W .

of this we will kill thee like thy tea c her Jesus and John ,

w hom Herod beheaded And they stood before Andre w t o .

kill him But they behold the seal upon his forehead w hi c h
.

the L ord had given h im and fi e d , .

And the devil said to them “

W h y have you not killed ,
”
hi m m y c hildren ?
,
And they answered and said “
We ,
”
c annot kill him 5 but kill him thyself if t hou canst .

Then one o f the demons said “

C ome let us m ock hi m , ,
.

And they sto od b efore hi m and sco f fed at him .

And the blessed one wept Then there ca m e a voice unto .

“ ”
h i m sayin g
,
Andrew w h y w eepest thou ?
,
And it w as ,

the voice o f the devil c hanged And Andre w ans w ered I .

,

‘
w eep because God commanded me saying B e patient , , .

“
And the devil said If thou canst do any thing d o it
, ,
.

And Andrew answered “

F orbid it that I sho uld disobey the ,

co m m and o f m y L ord 5 but if the L ord shall m ake fo r me a

bishopric in this city I will c hastise yo u as you deserve ,
.

And having heard this they fled .

And when it was morning they again dragged him about t h e

c ity. And the blessed one wept sayin g L ord Jesus Christ , , ,

b e n o t displeased with me 5 for thou kno west L ord what the , ,

”
fiend has infli cted upon me along with his de m ons Then ,
.

Jesus said to Andrew “

O o ur Andre w heaven and earth , ,

shall pass away but my w ord s shall not pass a w ay Turn

,
.

thyself then Andre w and behold thy flesh that has fallen
, , , ,

and thy hair what has bec o m e o f them ?-

And Andre w
turned and s aw great trees springing up bearing fruit 5 and
, ,

he glorified God The fourth day Andre w s exe c utioners did

.
’

the sam e And the L ord appeared in the pri s o n and having
.
,

stretched o u t his hand said t o Andrew “

Rise up whole , ,
.

And he rose up whole An d looking into the middle o fthe .

prison he saw a pillar having o n its t o p a statue o falabaste r

, ,
.

And Andrew w ent to t h e pillar and the s t atue and said to ,

the m “
,
F ear the sign o f the cross which heaven and earth
doth dread And do thou O idol stat u e bring up m uch
.
, ,
”
water to punish all in this wicked city Straight way the .
 M ICH A EL C O M E S IN A C LOUD OF F IR E . 217

statue c ast out of its m outh w ater in great abun dance And .

w hen it w a s m orn ing the m e n of the c ity said “

Woe fo r, ,
”
us beca use w e are dying 5 and they began to flee out of the
,

c ity .

Then Andrew prayed O L ord Jesus Christ send Mi c hael ,

thy ar c hangel in a c lo u d of fire and let hi m be a w all of fire ,

aroun d the city that no o n e be able to escape And straight .

w a y a cloud of fire c a m e do w n and en c ircled the c ity like a

w all . And the w ater w as as hig h as the neck o f the m e n .

“
And they cried out Go d of the stra n ger take a w ay fro m
, ,

u s this water And the apostle said to t he alabaster statue

.
,

“
Stop the w ater for they h ave repente d And I say to thee
, .
,

that if t h e citizens of this c i t y sh all beli ev e I wil l build a g ,

c hur c h and pla c e thee in it because th ou hast done m e this ,

”
service And the statue c eased fi o win g And An dr ew cam e
. .

o u t of the prison and the w ater ran this w ay and that fro m
,

the feet o f the blesse d Andre w An d an old m an wh o had .

,

given up hi s children t o b e slain to save him self ca m e and ,

thre w hi m se lf at the fee t of the blessed Andre w sayi n g , ,

”
Ha v e pity on m e And Andre w ans w ered “
Together
.
,
”
with this water shalt tho u go into the abys s And the .

blessed o n e looking up to heav en prayed b efore all the m ul

, ,

t i t ud e 5 and the earth opened and s w allowed up the water ,

and the old m an along with the w ater He w as carried do wn .

i nto the abyss together w i th the exe cu tioners

, .

An d the m en of the city see i ng what had h app ened w ere , ,

ex c eedingly afraid and began to say ,

Wo e unto us becau s e , ,

this m an is o f God 5 and now he w ill kill us be c ause of

the a f fl ictions that w e have caused h im An d An d re w said ”

to the m “
F ear not children for I shall not s end yo u also to
, , ,

Hades but those have gone that you m ay believe in our

,

L ord Jesus Christ Then the h oly Andre w ordered to be

.

brought u p all wh o had died i n the w ater And they w ere .

not able to bring the m 5 for there had d ied a great m ul titude
b oth of m en and w o m en and cattle T hen And r e w prayed .
,

and they all ca m e to life And after these things he built a .

2 18 A NDRE W O FFENDED
, ,
Is CA LLED E AC H BY CH R IS T .

church and baptized the people and gave the m the ordin ances
, ,

of o ur L ord Jesus Christ And the men of the city entreate d

.

h im to stay w it h them But he w ent hi s way

. .

And the L ord Jesus co m i ng d o w n from heaven like a

,

c o m ely little child said An dre w why h ast thou left the m
“
, , ,

w ithou t fruit ? R etu rn and re m ain there seven days until I ,

sha ll confirm their souls in the faith Then An d rew turned .

and went back into the city saying I thank thee my L ord
, , ,

Jesus Christ who wish e st t o save every s oul that thou has t
, ,
”
n o t allowed m e to go forth o u t o f thi s city in mine anger .

And when h e had returned into the city they rej oiced w ith
‘

e x c eeding j oy And he stayed there seven days tea c hing and

.
,

c onfirming them in the L ord Jesus Chris t An d the seven .

days being fulfil led w hile the blessed Andr ew was going o ut
, ,

a ll c a m e together to h im fro m the c hil d even to the elders

, ,

and sent hi m on his w ay saying There is o n e God the Go d

, , ,

o fAndr e w and our L ord Jesus Chris t who alone doeth w o n ,

”
ders to who m he glor y and strength for e v er Amen
,
. .

I hat fatuous credulity have w e here !

V
N o w onder the
ages which invented received circulated and transmi tted
, ,

fi c tions so mo n strous a n d m arvels s o absurd held me t o b e a ,

real person and propagated their belief over land and ocean
,

a n d down to distant ages I

Is it n o t a pop ul ar leg end ? you ask Theophilus Po s ,

.

s ibl s o 5 none the less gross must the credulity have been
y .

There is however one redee m ing quality in this narrative as

, , ,

in many others of the same kind v iz the m oral glory of Jesus ,

.

is sustained and even thro wn into pro m inence by the deep

s h adows in which it is embedded And if my moral u glin ess .

serves to make hi s trans cendent beau t y appear more beautiful ,

I find consolation in the thought and am content t o live o n ,

if only to aid in bringin g about its final supr em acy .

'
Ap o cr yph al G osp el s, &c .
,
in C l ark s An t e Ni cen e -
Li b y ra r .
2 20 AP O LL ON I US O F YAN A
T .

its reason beca m e m ost unreaso n able and ceasi n g to b e

, , ,

divi n e became de m oniacal Its entire e ffort was made w ith

, .

a vie w to withstand and thro w back the s w elling and ad v an c

ing t ides o f the re ligion o f Jesus The labour w as He r cu .

lean and appeals ca m e to me fro m all sides fo r aid in t h e

,

tremendous issue Then was i t that I suggested a personal

.

opponent to Christ Christianity m u s t be withsto od w ith its

.

o wn weapons Surely philosophy could readily c rush the

.

babe o f Bethlehe m S et Pythagoras in opposition t o Jes us

. .

E ncounter the poverty of the latter w i t h the asceticis m of the

form er Eas ilv c ould the ethics of the Jewish prophet b e
.

e clipsed by the m orality of the Acade m y and the Portico .

An d as to t h e alleged m iracles o f the gospel it would be the ,

easiest thing in t h e world for me t o make them look tame

and po or by marvels o n the grandest scale and the most
dazzling splendour .

Accordingly w ith the aid of Philo s t ra t u s o f L emnos I

, ,

produced and put before the world Apollonius of Tyana a ,

Gree k city o f C appadocia The pseudo biographer w as a .

-

m e mb er o f the literary and cultured cir cle which had bee n

brought together by the w ife of S epti m us Severus ( A D 1 9 3 . .

-
2 l l ) Julia D omna at w hose co mm an d the book w as com
, ,

piled I have lately rene wed my acquaintan ce w ith i ts c o n

.

tents and find that the volu m e though a tissue o ffalsehoods

, , ,

is not w ithout a c erta i n interest particularl y as ill ustrating ,

the infatuation o f the i mperial c our t and the stolid c redulity

o f the age As a p i cture o f the tim es t h e w ork is the more
.

instru ctive since it c am e forth under high au s p ic es an d in

, ,
=

its s u rvey c omprehends nearly the whole o f the civil ized

earth With a vie w t o interest t h e reader and m ake the
.

n arratives impressive Ap ollonius is represented as like great

, ,

people in m odern ti m es m aking the tour not o fE urope only , , ,

but the world Passing through t h e chief cities of Gree c e he

.
,

repairs to Babylon and penetrates Irid i a acco m panied by his ,

disciple D amis Asia Minor Italy and E gypt he visits

.
, .

E verywhere he seeks fo r and teaches true wisdom 5 every where

 HIS T R AV EL S O V ER THE E A R TH . 2 21

he does his best to sustain o r restore the sinking polytheis m

every where he perfor m s astounding feats of the w onderful .

The Hindoo sages inhabi t the Su mm it o fa m ou n tain when c e ,

they hurl t hunderbolts o n the rash m en w h o try to as c end

thi ther w ithout their per m ission The nearer you approa c h .

the lofty ridges the m ore do you find yourself in the regions
,

o f t h e p reternatural It is fo r exam ple an inse c t w hi ch

.
, ,

produ c es an oil fro m which m ay be extra c ted i n ex t in g uish

,

able fiam e s where with to besiege and capture h ostile c ities .

F arther on it is a w o m an black in hue fro m h er head to h er

,

w aist and w hite fro m h e r w ais t to her feet 5 thus coloured

,

expre s sly by nature in order to pay to the Indian Venus the

ho m age w hi c h she clai m s E lse w he re you co m e upon fields
.

o f pear t rees c ultivated by m onkeys 5 and then enor m ous ser

-

pents which ar e taken by extending along the m outh of their

,
~

lair so m e yards o f red linen i mprinted wit h m agic al chara c

,

ters In the head of those rept il es are precious stones w hose

.
,

virtue is the sam e as that o f the r i ng Of Gyges whi c h made ,

its w earer I nvisible .

At last Apollonius reaches the sacred mountain It is .

environed by m ists whi ch grow thi cker or thinner at the w ill

o f t h e sage As you as c end you m eet w ith a fire whi c h
.
,

purifies from all stain 5 a w e ll w hich utt ers Ora cles 5 two
'

large stone vases which c ontain the o n e r ai n the other wind , , ,

both at the disposition o ft h e sage According to the doctrine .

o fthe wise this moun t a i n I s the n avel of In d i a

,
There they .

adore the fire whi c h they boast o f dra wing directly from the
sun the prerogative o f Pro m etheus a sym bol for the m as well
, ,

as h im of inventive scienc e With his o wn eyes D am is sees

.

those sages ri se In the air without support W ithout any arti ,

fi c e t o the height o f several feet

,
The sages have no house 5 .

when it rains they bring a cloud to shelter the m selves w ith .

They wear their hair long white m itres v e s t m ents w oven

, ,

fro m fi ax which t h e eart h allo w s t hem only to gather

,
.

Apollonius is disconcerted by their kno wledge and yet he is ,

not easily astonished The y possess absolute scien c e They

. .
2 22 HIS C o N vE RS ION S A ND M IR AC LE S .

are famili ar with the p ast o fevery o n e they co m e near They .

have an a n swer fo r every ques tion When they the ms elves .

are asked “
W h o are yo u they reply D iv inities ,
.
”

“ ”
Why ? Because we are vir tuous This answer ap .

”
e ar e d t o Ap ollonius ful l of sense c ontinu es his biograp h er
p , ,

wh o a m ong all the virtues w ith which he credits his hero has
, ,

so m e w ay forgott en m odesty .

Having undergone his ini tiation into the Indian mysteries ,

Apollonius proceeds to traverse the rest o f the earth as a

prophet an d a reformer E phesus a totally frivolous and .
,

effe m inate city is by his preachin g brought ba ck to philosop h y

,

and virtue The dissensions of Smyrna are composed by his

.

w isdo m Mean while E phesus infested by a devastatin g

.
,

plague invites h im back To deliver the city he thinks it

,
.
,

enough to knock an old b eggar o n the head When the mass .

o f stones under w hich the beggar l ies is raised an enor ,

m ous dog is found in his place This brute w as nothing else .

than an evil spirit the source of the devastation Th en he

,
.

sets out for Greece S t opping on his w ay at Troy he has a

.
,

conversation with the shade o f Achill es and learns that the ,

beautiful Helen w as n ever in the city o f Pria m Then he .

visi ts at L esbos the sanctuary o f O rpheus 5 and disembarks

,

a t Athens w here he heals a young man possessed o f a devil

, ,

w hile inveighing agains t the voluptuous dances o f At t i c a

‘

Aft er that he pays a visit in succession to all t h e ora cles O f

,

Greece every where presentin g himself as a refor m er o r r e

,

s torer o fthe rites At Corinth he unseals the eyes o f one o f

.

his di sciples desperately in love with apparently a very rich

and beautiful w o m an but w h o in r e ality w as nothi ng but a
,

L a mt a o n e of those w i c ked fe m al e demons w h o entrap young

,

men in the toils of love only to devour the m at their leisure .

At L ac e d em o n he revives the vigo ur o f the ancient laws .

At O lym pia he t akes part in the games bei n g all but wor ,

s hi p e d by the crowd Thence he passes into Crete and from

.
,

there he pro ceeds to R o m e N ero reigned The ene m y of . .

philosophers he p ersecuted them under the pretext o f their

,
2 24 A N C IEN T A ND M ODERN S P IR ITIS M .

y may find mention made o fthe m agi c al tables which

o u

my envoys are said to have employed .

”
If says that hi gh Church authority
,
it is given to ,

make spectres appear t o call up the souls o fthe dead t o force

, ,

infants mouths to utter oracles 5 ifthose tricksters o n a large

’

'

scale i m itate miracle s wh ic h seem d ue to th e cir cles o r the

c hains which persons form o n e with another 5 if they send

drea m s 5 if they raise conspiracies 5 if they have at their order

spirit m essengers and de m ons under whose cont rol cha i r s and
-

t a bles w hich indicate the future are a co mm on fa c t w ith ,

-

w hat double zeal will those p owerful spirits do on their o wn

behalf what they d o for th e ser vice o fothers I
You see that s u persti t ion is a very hard thing to die A .

personal devil once brought into existence still finds that

, ,

existence supported by m agical circles chains t urning tables , , ,

and rapping spirits A conspiracy w as formed against the

.

e m peror Flavius Valens wh o lived in the fourth century

, .

Amo n g the conspirators were many persons o fhigh rank that

d ealt in magic .In their number was a mystic philosophe r .

o fthe school of Alexandria the c elebrated Ja mbl ic h u s

,
This .

circle desired to learn w h o would succeed the reigning e m

p e r o r al t hough the curiosity w as by law a c apital Cri m e
,
O ne .

o fthe m by na m e Hilarius delivered the follo w ing speech in

, , ,

which he confesses the crime that w as laid t o their c harge

“
Magnificent j udges w e constructed in the for m o f the
,

D elphic tripo d wi th w ands o fla urel under the auspices o fhell

, , ,

this o m inous table w hich you s ee and afte r having accordin g

, ,

to the pres c ribed rules subj ected it duri n g several hours to

, , ,

c onj urations and m ysti c for m ulas we at last set it in motion

, .

N ow w hen we w ish to cons ul t it as to secret things t h e plan ,

t o make it m ove is this w e place it in the m iddle o f a

roo m carefully purified w ith the incens e o fArabia and place
, ,

thereon a round e mpty basin made of dif ferent m etals On .

his feet before it o n e of the members of the assembly skilled

, ,

in m agi c al practices having c onciliate d by prayer the support

,

o fthe d ivinity w hich inspires prophecies balances above it a ,

 S P IR ITS UN D ER THE C ON TROL OF PH ILO S O PHY .

ring duly conse c rated This rin g leaping up and do w n in the

.
,

intervals o f letters whi c h stop it one after another composes ,

heroic verses like those o fthe Pythoness We then ask it .

W h o is to be the successor o fthe reigning e m peror and as

it wa s said that it would b e a man o fa perfect education the ,

ring touched in its vi brations t h e letters w hich w ere held to

indicate the nam e Theodore Theodore exclaimed the spec
.

t at o r s 5 Theo d ore is procla imed by destiny 1

’

The actors w ere put to death and if the his t orian Z o n aras , , , ,

may be believed Valens also executed all the p ersons of dis

,

tinction whose names began w ith the fatal letters Jam blic hu s .
,

Plotinu s Porphyry and in general all the philosophers Of

, ,

Al exandria professed t o evoke spirits Their ph ilosophy w as

, . A

a theurgy in which names ciphers emblems and form ulas

, , ,

played a great part The spirits including Go d thus evoked

.
, , ,

had o nl y to appear The supreme obj ect and perfec t ion o f

.

this philosophy was the union o f man with the Go d that

fil led the w orld Plotinus died with these w ords o n his lip s
.

I m ake my last effort to unite what is div ine in me to what

”
Is divine in the universe .

Toward the sixth century n o trace remained Of the school

,

o f the A l exandrine m ystics 5 but their cabbalistic formulas

had been preserved and they were added t o the treasures
,

o f the sorcerers o n w hom the C hurch no w powerful made , ,

ceaseless w ar during the m id dl e ages and afterwards .

C HAPTER II .

MY C ONNE C TION WITH THE GN Oe Cs A ND THE MA N ICH E A N S .

WH ILE in the pagan world I put forth Ap oll onius of Tyan a

to oppose C hristianit y in the Ch urch and near the Church I ,

e mployed the Gnostics and the Manicheans as my allies to defile

and c orrupt the Church itself And this I did the more easily .

Q
226 S A TA N W ORK S BY S P E C UL A TION .

because the human mind is ever prone t o s p e c ulation an d in ,

days o f ignorance and imp ulse can hardly escape from pro
d u c in g a s w arm o f grotesque and heterogeneous figm e n t s .

The topics whi ch I selected fo r the subj ects o fthese specula

tions were equally deep important and attractive In their ,
.

mos t general form they ask Whence this world o fmixed go od ,

and evil ? Ho w can pure spirit come into contac t and hold
communion with im pure matter ? W hat is the source of sin ?
What will the end o f these things be ? Here are dualisms ,

co n trarieties and Oppositions o f a m ost serious nature which ,

d emand but cannot easily receive solution

,
I am myself the ,
.

generall y received solution The hu m an mind pressed for an .

,

ans w er t o these momentous questions produced me and that , ,

u nder various fancied shapes and characteristic nam e s Thus .

produced and invested with personality I performed my part ,

in the economy o f human life and o n the wide area Of ,

heavenly and earthly movements Through various human .

b eings e g Valentinus Bas ilid e s Nicolaus Menander &c

,
. .
, , , ,
.
,

I p u t forth my demoniacal phantas m s and so augmented if , ,

I did n o t enrich the prevalent de m onology Of the Church

,

and the world These dark an d fantastic conceptions bo r

.

row e d d i fferen t hues from the minds o fm y agents bein g n o w ,

pantheistic in their tendency n o w theistic and n o w positively , ,

atheistic Whatever their c olour they were all t rue o ffspring

.
,

o fmy nature considered spe c ially as representing the evil side

,

o fknowledge .

The Gnostics is a ter m w hich literally rendered signifies , ,

the kn o wer s the knowing ones

,
N o w knowledge o r t h e thirs t .
,

fo r knowledge is good when the motive a n d the aim are right

, ,

and when it is sought in due prop ortion an d h armony with

other natural forces o fman s higher life But knowledge he ’
.

comes bad when s undered from morals and senti m ent and ,

when owing t o partial culture it degenerates into curiosity

, , .

E qually mistake n is it i n its spirit and r esearches when it

tries to force its way into the secret and inaccessible things o f
the universe Before all knowledge becomes bad when know
.
,
228 S ATA N IS RE S IS TED BY THE SI MP LE M INDED -
.

life by its natural consequences 5 and these consequences are

s o many exp eriences and so many attestations which beco m e

knowledge an d assur ance o fthe things o fGod the highest in ,

ki nd the most trustworthy in res ul t Here is true kno w ledge

, .
, ,

kno wledge whi ch is religious n o t in name but in reality and , ,

knowledge w hich involves the highest possible human good .

But such knowledge was t o o pure real ethereal fo r the , , ,

dark ages Its intrinsic worth is only n o w beginning to daw n

. .

Profiting by men s incapacity fo '

r the true religion o f Jesus
’

I induced them t o dethrone pis t is ( fa ith ) and put gnosis

( kn o wled g e
) o n the seat o fempire This w as a master stroke .
-

o n my part What did I but set the Chur c h o n an impossible

.

task and in s o doing made it spurn and scorn the yoke whi ch
,

i s easy and the burden which is light ? ( Matt xi As an . .

inevitable result the ecclesiastical leaders gave the m selves up

,

t o speculation fabricated c reeds anathe m atized each other and

, , ,

betrayed Christ w ith a kiss Most stran ge o f all is it that .

they charged o n w hat I may term o u t Ofdoor spec ulators the - -

very system and consequences o f the syste m w hich had led

them to ej e c t Christ from his o wn te m ple and later o n l e d ,
”
them to turn that te mple itself into a d en o fthi eves ( Matt .

x xi .

I w as allo w ed to origin ate and impel the process o fde

n ot

t e r io r at i o n without counteraction My gnosis was from t h e .

fir st quietly but though un c onsciously fir m ly resisted by t h e

, , ,

si m ple m inded m e m b ers o f the Church wh o kno win g and

-

, ,

finding that love was the fulfill ing o fthe new law as w ell as
the Old di d the ir duty in lo wly ob e di e n ce to Go d and earnest
,

s erv i ce to m an and s o passing o n fro m generation t o generation

, ,

beca m e the light o fthe w orld and th e salt o fthe earth 5 w hile
sturdy and i m petuo u s dogm atists like Tertullian and Augustin
so wed tares among the w heat and promoted the very spirit o f ,

speculation w hich they S hould have been the first to w ith

stand The final issue Of this syste m atic perversion o f the
.

religion o fJesus received completion and consecration in the

last ( E cum enical C ouncil But the day that the top stone w as
.
-
 S A TA N M AKES H ERE S Y THE CAP ITA L C R IM E . 229

placed on the edifice of sa c erdotal usurpation and c orruption

w as the day that sealed its doom and ensured its speedy do w n
*
fall .

CHAPTER III .

MY C ONNE C TION W ITH H ERE S Y .

IN contrast and in a measure in opposition to the sp ecu

, ,
~

lative theology Of the C hurch there appeared in successive ,

periods o fits history a revival g reater o r less of the religion , ,

o f Jesus which bears in literature the na m e Of Mysticis m

, ,

and whi ch c leri cal authority dubbed w ith the name of heresy .

Ano t her form o f heresy arose from Gnostic tendencies by ,

exaggerating the force an d the sway of the intellect in religious

c oncerns These may have inv olved errors to so m e extent but
.
,

they w ere a natural and there fore a prop er reaction against

, ,

the falsities o f the Chur ch w hi ch ever increased num erically ,

and grew larger and more Inj ur i o us Bad as this was the .
,

Chur ch took a far worse step when at m y dictation it raised , ,

“
heresy into a crim e and defin ed the crime as a pertinacious
,

disregard of its authority leading t o in i pio us ,

It
foll owed that whatever deviated fro m the ecclesiastical stand
ards w as not so m uch an error as a heresy The consequent .

evil w oul d have bee n s m all h ad not the Church effectually ,

invoked the s w ord o f the civil power for the assertion Of its
authority Thus supported the Church took the last do wn
.
,

w ard step by setting up a tribunal w hich u n der the name of ,

“
the Holy O ffice comm only known as the Inqui sition
,
” “
,
”

took cognizan c e o f religious Op l Il l OIl S and sta m ping with t he ,

H ist oir e d es D ogm es C r é t i e n s , p ar M E ug en e H aag

. . 2 v o ls . 4to .

P ari s , 1 8 6 2 .

1 Cat echi smus

'
ex D e cr et o Co n cilii Tr e d en t in i . E igh th t
s er eo . e diti on

h
Ta uc n itz , 1 8 6 5 .
23 0 THE CH UR CH MA DE INF AM OU S BY THE N Q U IS ITION
I .

brand o f heresy every free thought h anded the c riminals ,

over t o the stake here and the flam es o fhell hereafter That .

I had a hand in this treason against hu m ani ty I do n o t deny 5 ,

but I deli berately and e mphaticall y assert t ha t alike in its ruth a

less principle and in its murderous res ul ts the priest had far ,

m ore to do than the man and consequently that the huge

,

m ass of consequent bla m e lies not so m uch at m y door as a t

the door of the Church There is ano t her aspect o fthe origi n
.

of heresy in w hich I had little or n othing to do I will even .

ven ture to call it the divine side o fheresy Heresy is sim ply .

choice ; and in the case the choice lay be t ween this Opinion
and that na m ely the opinion which the chooser o n inqui ry
, ,

found true and that which he found false Strictly speaking .

,

he had no option in such an issue The conditions of t h e .

issue deter mined the preference All the inquirer had to do

.

w as to be faithful to his nature and obedient to Him by w ho m

it had been m ade w hat it was In this view heresy is syn o n y
.
,

m ous with honesty Man s duty to God and to himself and

’
.

to his kind m akes the avowal of thi s and the de ni al Of t h at

for m o fthought imp erative If ho w ever the prerogatives o f
.
, ,

“
individual j udgm ent got prevalence the authority o f the ,
”
Church would so on b e at an end Aware of its danger .
,

sacerdotalis m adopted the Hero di an poli c y and attempted to ,

slay every infant in its cradle .

The atrocities wh ich ensued have furnished t o hi story its

bla ckest an d m ost odious page The detail s are too horrible
.

for me in m y present state of m i n d even to relate My com .

li cit y in the cri m es I admit and deplore It may serve as

p .

a slight extenuation o n my p art to add that p artaking of the ,

i m proved spirit o fthe age I have renounced the spirit an d

,

the practice o f persecution 5 whil e there are R oman priests

( whose na m es and w ords I would give h a d I space
) w h o

labour for the return o f both and who expectin g it to co m e

, ,

ere v ery long gloat over the agonies w hi ch according t o

, ,

them the guilty will u ndergo for ever The cri minality o f
,
.

papal R ome in this respect is the greater because her draconic ,

 P RO TE S TA N T B IG O TR Y R I O TS IN P ER S E C UTIO N .

Chris t and t o corrupt all churches But I h Op e that Go d will .

I nsp i re those who so well know h o w to punish robbers and

the sacrilegious and lead them to act in this business in su c h

,

a way as w ill bring them j ust commendations 5 and that they

w ill put to death a man who has persisted in his heresies
with so much obstinacy an d destroyed so large a number o f
souls Thy desire that his punish m ent sho ul d be mitigated
.

is a friendly service rendered to o n e wh o is thy most m ortal

foe 5 but I beg thee t o act in such a w ay that in future no
o n e shall publish n e w doctrines and try to S hake all foun

dations as Servetus has done C ast your eyes o n that insolent

,
.

heretic Jero m e Bo ls e c who though often overcome in argu

, , ,
.

m ent has not yet been brought to reas on 5 the indulgence o f

,

his j udges rather than equity leading them astray from thei r
, ,

duty has done inj ury not to Servetus only but to many
, ,

others Ho wever thou art w ell infor m ed o fall this 5 but the re
.
,

are people w h o would let heretics alone as if there were no ,

d ifi e r e n c e between the functions o f a minister and those o fa

magistrate B ecause the pop e condemns Christians fo r t h e
.

crime o f heresy 5 because enraged j udges subj ect innocent

perso n s to punishments reserved for h er e t ieS it is absurd to ,

c onclude that the latter ought n o t to be put to death in or d e r

t o guarantee Chr is t ians from har m F o r me I have Often .
,

declared that I was ready to die if I had taught anything

contrary to sound doctr i ne 5 and I add that I should be wor thy
of the m ost terrible punishm ents if I turned any o n e away
from the true faith in C hr ist I c anno t then apply a different
.

—
rule to other s N euch atel 8 t h September 1 5 5 3 , , .

N o r was this horrid j udgment unsupported The churches .

o f S witz erland b eing for m ally consulted ga v e a u nani m ous

, ,

Opinion as t o the theological culp abili ty o f S ervetus and ,

dif fered solely as to the degree o fhis punishment .

While the cause at issue protracted itself o wing t o a variety ,

o f circums t ances the in nocent martyr suffered horribly in

,

prison IV it n eS S this most distressing letter

.

“
Magnificent L ords — It is n o w three weeks S ince I asked
 S ERV E TU S B URNED IN THE N AM E OF THE T R IN ITY . 23 3

the favour Ofbeing heard and asked i n vain I beseech you ,

.
,

for the love of Jesus Christ not to refuse m e what yo u w ould ,

not refuse a Turk I beg only for j ustice I w ant to say to

. .

o u things of i m portan c e things necessary to be said

y ,
.

AS to yo ur order that so m ething should be done to k ee p

me clean it has had no effect and I am in a fo uler condition
, ,

than ever Besides I suffe r exceedingly from the c old espe

.
, ,

c iall
y on account o f my coli c and m y rupture w hich occasion ,

me sufferings that shame prevents m e fro m putting on pap er .

It is a great cruelty that I am not allo w ed t o sp eak to you Of

.

my necessities F o r the love of Go d my lords o r for pity s

.
, ,
’

sake o r fro m a sense o fduty give the needful order Writ ten
, ,
.

in your prison of Gene va the l 0 t h o fO ctober 1 5 5 3 , ,

.

The m itiga t ion of the p un is hm en t d esir e d by Calvin was

x

the s word inste a d Ofthe faggot .

The defi ni tive decision of the Council is expressed in the

follo wing extract fro m the s en tence it pronounced -

Moved by these and other considerations and desirous Of ,

pur ging the Church of God from such infe c tion and of c utting ,

of f so rotten a bran c h hav ing c ons ul ted our fello w c itizens

,
-

and invoked God s nam e that we m ay pronounce a right

’

j udg m ent and having the S c ripture under o ur eyes we in

, , ,

the name of the F ather and o f the S on and o f the Holy

Ghost decide definitively and conde m n the e Mi chael S ervetus
, , ,

to be bound and conveyed to the square o f Cha mpel to b e ,

there c hained t o a post and to be burned all alive together ,

w ith thy book until thy body he redu c ed to ashes 5 and thus
,

shalt th ou finish thy days to give an example to others w h o ,

‘

may incline t o si m ilar cri m es .

And we co mm and you our li eutenant to carry our decree , ,

” if
into execu t ion .

The O ffic er obeyed This Official crim e was c o mm itted in

.

the da wning presence o f modern toleration and has in c urred ,

Re l tia on d u Pr oc es C ri min el in t en t é a G en ev e en 1 5 5 8, con r e t M ich e l

S erv et . P ari s C h er buli ez .
23 4 THE P RIE S TS OF R OM E W ORK BY S A TA N A ND H ELL .

such severity o f rebuke as to make si milar enormities imp o s

sible .

L et every o n e concerned therein and every abettor thereof , ,

lea r n from me t o c over themselves with the sackcloth and

'
ashes Of profound h umiliation .

CHAPT ER IV .

MY C ONNE C TI O N WIT H THE P R IE S TS OF RO M E .

THE priests by working with and o n the weak and the

,

bad side Of human nature having m ade me what I am , ,

n aturally employed me for their purposes Ho w co ul d they .

turn me to a c count s o well as by spreading among their flocks

such stories Of m y influence and operation as wo uld at o nce
delude and terrify at least the multitude ? This they hav e
freely done ; this they c ontinue t o d o at the present ho u r .

But fo r this their po w er would have been at an end long since 5

,

and when the priests are gone I shall exist n o longer in ,

human society 5 though the real devil will n o t disappear until

men n o r least kings and princes have renounced all connec
, ,

ti o n with folly and fraud .

The fo ll owing examples o fthe services which priestcraft has

exacted from me rest o n high sacerdotal authority
“
These morals and these practices sustained in all minds ,

if n o t the fear o r the love o fSatan at least the thought so , ,

that it was n o t possible fo r him t o be forgotten The moralists .

profited by him t o correct i m moralities by ide as which cir

c ulat e d everywhere ; they made frighte n in g pi c tures o f the

S ata nic power o f the acts o f divine vengeance o f the pun

, ,
”
i sh m en t s o f the o t her life an d put them into apologu e s
, .

Kin g D agob ert first enters o n the stage A Sicilian m onk .

,

H i st o i r e d e S a t a n , p a r M . l Abbé
’
L e ea n n . 1 v ol . 8 vo . P aris , 1 8 6 1 .
23 6 CHA RLE MAG NE RE S C UED BY THE CH U R CH .

Turpin archbishop Of Rheims o n e o f the best friends Of

, ,

the m agnanimous e m peror b eing o n e day engaged in prayer ,

after saying mass heard a noise in t h e street s o grea t that he

,

c e ased h is supplication in order t o inqui re what was the cause .

He fou n d it proceeded from a troup o f devils going t o take

part in the trial o fCharlemagne wh o had j ust died in order , ,

to claim his soul The archbi s hop made them pro m ise to
'
.

rep ort to hi m the resul t and resu m ed hi s prayer But 10 ,

.

O ad mi rable efi cacy o fprayer and good work s 1 Saint Michael ,

Saint D ionysius and the apos t le Sain t Ja m es come up in tim e ,

to co m pel the devils to leave hold o f their prey and putting ,

i n the good w orks scale the stones the wo od and the other
’

materials that Charles had used in constructin g churches ,

houses Of charity m onasteries and the large su m s o fS ilver and

, ,

gold he had sp ent in endo wing them and furnishi ng them

with costly furniture it appeared that the goo d carried the ,

day over the ill 5 and the devils had no alternative but t o
retire in S hame and confusion being m altreated by the by ,

standers .

T his form o fthe history was also touched up and reproduced

i n later days b eing used o f other personages among whom
, ,

Gervais a successor o fTurp i n In the see o f R heims plays an

, ,

i m portant part .

Charles Martel furnished but t o o many grounds fo r such

apologues Accordingly he was damned without remission
.
,

and w hat is more re m arkable da mned in body as well as

, ,

soul S aint Eu ch er bishop o f O rleans received inform ation

.
, ,

t o that e f fect by revelation With a view to confirm the .

revelation Fuha d e first chaplain t o Pepin le Bref having

, , ,

inspected the bier o f the lost monarch that he m igh t assure

himself if the body was really gone found the body o f the ,

co ffin burnt and saw there only a great serpen t which van
, ,

i s h e d in an ill odorous c loud -

.

The E ngli sh moralists possessed so m ething better than

this i e terrible des c riptions o f purgatory an d hell The
,
. .
.

Venerable Bede the first t o speak o f the s e relates that o n e

, ,
 E CC LE S IA S TICA L F IRE W ORK S .

o f his fello w coun trym en nam ed D r it h el me having been

-
, ,

m iraculously recalled to life terrified his conte m poraries by ,

the recital Of what he had seen in purgatory There s u ch — .

—
was his representation yo u saw deep vales filled with flam es ,

a n d high m ountains covered with snow and ice ; thousands

Of souls alternately pl u nged in the fires and in the sno w

, ,

under w ent frightful tortures while w aitin g t o be delivered

by the prayers and good deeds Of the living S o much was .

D rit h elm e alar m ed by what he had seen that he passed his ,

second life in the m ost austere penance declaring that the ,

severest labour was pleasant in co mparison with those tortures .

If I am not misinform ed fire works o f this kind are not , ,

even in the year 1 8 7 0 unusu al if n o t o n the part o f English

, ,

m oralists certain ly o fE nglish prea chers

,
.

A fab ul ist to o k it into his head t o attribute to Charles l e

Chauve an ectasy durin g which he traversed purgatory an d
,

hell under the direction o f an angel who tied to the king s ,

’

hand an Ariadne thread fo r fear he should lose hi m self in

,

the alleys and c rossings Of those vast and c loudy labyrinths .

There he s aw the grandest perso n ages and the strangest m ar

vels but m arvels w hich far outstrip those that the pagans
,

tell o f the black Tartarus and the do m ains o f Pluto Tan .

talus Ix ion and Sisyphus the D anai des are t rifl e s in com
, , ,

parison The story is intended for a lesson t o bad kings

.
,

greedy m inisters o f state ambitious co u rtiers and prelates o f

,

irregular lives .

Charles did n o t learn much fro m his adventurous course ,

o r at least he did n o t profit greatly there by for a short ti m e ,

after he w as himself found in purgatory by another fab ul ist .

The king in a most pitiable c ondition lay sunk in an in fe c

, , _

tious dun g hill covered with ulcers eaten up by w or m s half

-

, , ,

clad in rags his hair and h e ar d in disorder In sad term s h e

, .

co m m en d ed himself to his v i sitor whose nam e was Berthold ,

.

Moved w ith co m passion the literary m an as soon as he was

, ,

o n earth again paid f o r m asses to be said f

, o r the peace o fthe

m onarch s soul The prince received consolation as was as

’
;
,
 23 8 A LU C R ATIV E TR A DE IN MA S S E S .

(
c e r t a in e d
fterwards fo r Be rthold made freque n t visits t o
a ,

p urgatory There he often saw some o fthe loftiest personages

—
.

Of the day bishops k ings statesmen He expounded to t he , , .

livin g the reason o f t he tortures endured by those ill ustrious

de ad ones and had masses said o n their behalf
, .

E very o n e o f w hich put some t hing into the pock et Of the

c lergy the pay be i ng made beforehand
,
And if the demand .

fo r m asses wa s then as great as it is now the wholesale trade ,

therein w hich is driven at present w as probably driven then .

In m ost Catholic circles on the c ontinent there is o n e popul ar

priest As p o pu lar he c arries o n a large trade in masses and
.
r
, ,

g ets a good price fo r the w ork Indeed o n account o f his .

,

s piritual influence he has entrusted t o him far more masses

,

than he could say were he to spend in the task every minute

o f every four a n d twenty hours What does he d o ? L eave
- -
.

the m unsaid ? O no I the holy man has a conscience C o n .

sequently hired himself to say the masses he hires others and

, , ,

s o does the work by proxy At the same time he puts money .

into his pocket 5 fo r a mass which brings him in a guinea he ,

c an get said by an inferior hand for a shilling Where s the ’

.

harm ? He gets rich and the dwellers in purgatory are none ,

the worse .

In the way o fmoney making I feel and o wn my in feriority -

,

t o the priests .

The celebrated history o f the conversion o f Saint Bruno ,

c o n secrated by s o many monuments and by the legends o f

c ertain Breviaries Of the fifteenth century was written in order ,

t o deter m en from wrong doing by the fear o f me w hom it -

, ,

was b elieved none but the priests could keep in check A

,
.

funeral service was b eing said f o r a doctor o f the university ,

wh o had been a free liver His nam e was R aymond The . .

bier was placed in the cho ir o fthe church When the reader .

c ame in o n e Of the lesso n s t o the words R esponde mihi , ,

An s wer m e the dead man sat up and said

,
“
I am accused ,

b efore the j ust j udgment o f Go d The O fficiants were a we .

s tri c ke n and the service was interrupted The n ext d ay t h e

,
.
24 0 WHO IS S TR O —
N G ER THE P R IE S T O R THE D EV IL ?

fi r e br an d s
Of Satan They t ry t o tear from their hands those
bracelets those j ewels from their heads those laurel wreaths
, ,

and those cro wns from their feet those spurs from their
, ,

shoulders those armlets from th eir bodies those coats o fmail , ,

all o f gold an d set with precio u s stones yet all blazin g with ,

the inextinguishable fire o fhell but n o I the burden o f their

bravery weighs them down 5 they sink in flames under their
glittering load 5 th ey sink but they d o n o t d isappear ; they ,

sink and they rise they rise and they s ink until they h ave
, ,

passed do wn and entered the gates o f the ever burning man -

sions Of the damned

With su c h stories the Golden L egend and the Service
“

b ooks o fthe Church o fthe day are literally filled The pries t .

and the devil ruled and ravaged the civ iliz ed earth ( if the
epithet is n o t a sarcasm ) Yet when I pleased I was t o o .
, ,

p o werful even fo r the priests Witness the L egend o f .

THE OL D WOMA N OF B E R KE L E Y .

The Rav en cr o a ke d as s h e sat at h er m e a l ,

An d t he o ld w o man kn ew w h at he sa id
An d sh e g r e w p al e at t h e R av e n s t al e
’

An d sick en e d a n d w en t t o her bed .

Now fthme c e my c h il d r en , an d f t h th
e c em wi th s p e e d ,

The Old d5
w o m an of B e r k el e y sai

Th m k my e ond my d gh t t he so n , a n au er n un ,

Bid t h m h t eI h ll b d d a s en , o r S a e ea .

Th m k h
e on d h d ght t h
er son , an er au er e n un ,

Th i w y t B k l y w t
e r a o er e e en ,

A d th y h
n b ught wit h pi t h gh t
e av e ro o us ou

Th h ly em t o sa cr a en .

Th ld w m
e O h i k d th y t d t h
o an s r e e as e en e r e e d oor ,
Ad h n i d w it h
s i fd p i
e cr e a v o ce o es a r,

N w t k w y th
o a m t
e a a e s a cra en ,

F it por I s t b r e s en c e can n o ear .

H lip it t m bl d wit h g y
er re e a on ,

Th w t e sdw h b w ea r an o n er ro

Ih t t i
av e t f m
o r ur es n s ore o r ev er o r e,

B t p m my h ild
”
u s ar e w e, c r en , no .
 T HE OL D W O MA N OF B ERKELE Y .

A way th ey s e t t he s c ame t n a r n

The fi t it l eft h e w eak 5 r

S he l oo ke d hild w it h gh tly y
at h er c r en as e es ,

A d f i t ly t ggl d t p k
n a n s ru e o S ea .

All ki d f i 1 h n i t d i
o S n av e r o e n,

A d t h j dgm t w m u t b 5
n e u en no s e

B t I d my hild ul 5 ’
u s ecur e c r e n s so s

Oh p y m y hi ld ra f m !
, c re n ,
or e

Ih i t d m y lf wi th i f t f t
av e an o n e se n an s
’
a ,

Th fi d h e b my l
en s av e een S a v es ,

P m l pi g b b
ro s ee Ih n u k d t h b th a es a ve s c e e r ea ,

A d b ki g by h m t h l p f d t h
n r ea n c ar s e s ee o ea ,

Ih ll d t h d d f m th i g
av e c a e e ea ro e r r av es .

A d t h d i l w ll f t h m
n e ev w i fi i
e c e no n r e,

My wi t h f t t tc 5 cr a s o a on e

A d I wh h
n ,
t ubl d t h d d m
o av e g ro e e ea an s
’
r a v e,

S h ll a h t i my w
n ev e r av e r e s n o n .

Bl I t t my W di g h t
es s, en r e a ,
in n -
S ee ,

My h ild c I b g fy ; r en , e o ou

A d wit h h ly w t
n p i kl m y h d
o a er s r n e s r ou ,

A d p i k l my ffi t
n s r n e co n oo .

A d l t m b h i d i my ffi f t
n e e e c a n e n co n o s on e ,

A d f t it t
n g I impl
as en s ron ,
or e ,

W it h i b r on d wit h t h h i
ar s , an r ee c a n s,

C h i it t t h h u h fl
a n o e c rc o or .

A d bl
n th hi ess d p i kl t h m e c a n s an s r n e e ,

A d l t fift y p i t t d u d
n e r es s s a n ro n ,

Wh i gh t d d y t h m
o n an m y y a e a ss a sa ,

Wh I lier e th g d e on e r ou n .

Ad n t h t fift y h i t
s ee a c o r s ers

B id t h b i
es e tt d m e er a en e,

A d d y d ight by t h t p
n a an ligh t
n e a er s
’

W ith h ly hym d f d m o ns e en e .

L t th
e hu h b ll ll b th g t d m ll
e c rc e s a ,
o r ea an s a ,

B t ll d by igh t
e o e d d y n an a ,

T d i
o f m th
r ve t h fi d wh
ro m en c e e en s o co e

T h o m y b dy w y
ear o a a .

Ad n h t h hu h d b d
e v er av e e c rc -
o or ar re

A ft t h er g5 e ev en so n -

R
)

N 0
[ THE OL D W O MA N OF B ERKELE Y .

An d Ib e s ee c hy ou , c h il d r en de ar ,

Let t h e b d b lt b t g
a r s an o s e s r on .

A d l t th i b t h
n e d y d ight s e r ee a s an n s,

My w t h d p t
re c e c or se o sa v e

Till t h f u t h me i g k p me
o r f o rn n ee sa e ,

Ad I m y
n t i my g a r es n r av e .
”

Th ld w m
e o fB k l y l i d h
o an dw o er e e a er o n ,

Adh n y g w d dl y d im
er e es re ea ,

Sh t
or m h b ca th ed th t uggl fd e th
er r ea , an e s r e o a

Di d l y limb
o os en ev e r .

Th y bl t t h ld w m wi d i g h t
’
e es e O o an s n n -
S ee

Wi t h i t d p y
r d es a n ra ers u e,

With h ly w t th y p i kl d h
o a er h d e s r n e er s r ou ,

A d th y p i kl d h
n e ffi t S r n e er co n oo .

A d th y h i d h i h
n e c ffi f t e
a ne er n er c o n o s on ,

A d w ith i
n b d it d w r on ar r e o n,

A d i t h h h wit h th
n n e c t g h i ur c r e e s r on c a ns

Th y h i d i t t t h g u d
e c a ne o e -
ro n .

A d t h bl
n d th h i
ey d p i kl d th m
ess e e c a n s an s r n e e ,

A d fift y p i t t d
n d r es s s o o r o un ,

B y igh t d d y t h m
n ant y a e a ss o sa

Wh h l y
er e S th g d e a on e r o un .

A d fift y
n d h it sacr e c or s e r s ,

B id h b i
es ett d h er er a en er ,

Wh d y d igh t by t h t p
o a an ligh t
n e a er s
’

S h ul d wit h h ly hym
o d f dh o ns e en er .

T o se e th p i t d h it e r es s an c or s er s,

It w g dl y ight
as a oo S ,

E h h ldi g
ac ifit w
o n t ff ,
as er e a s a ,

A t p b u i g b ight
a er rn n r .

A d t h h h b ll ll b t h g t d m ll
n e c ur c e s a ,
o r ea an s a ,

Di d t ll l d d l g5
o SO ou an on

A d th y h
n b d t h hu h d h d
e av e arr e e c rc -
o or ar ,

Af t th er g e ev en - s on .

A d t h fi t igh t t h t p light ’
n e rs n e a er s

Bu t t d ily
rn d l 5
s ea an c e ar

But t h y wit h t hi de t ou a e o us r o u

Of g y fi d an ld hr en s co u e ar

A h id u eot th h hd
s r o ar a e c ur c -
o or ,

L ik l g th u d p l 5
e a on n er ea
244 THE OL D W O M AN or B E R KELE Y .

An d t he l d ou co m m o tion li k e t he ru shi n g
,
ofoc ean ,

G re w m o m en tly m or e an d m or e
An d t k es
s ro b tte i g m as ifa a r n -
ra ,

Did h k t h s t g hu h d
a e e s ro n c rc -
oor .

Th b ll m
e e th y f en ,yf e o r v er e ar

C l d t ll t h b ll
ou o l g 5 e e no on er

A d till
n sl d g w th t k as ou er re e s ro es ,

Th ei f it g w t h
r ea r t g re e s r on er .

Th m k e d u f g t th i h d
on an n n or o e r ea s,

Th y f ll e t h g u d i di m y
e on e ro n n s a

Th w
er e t i gl
as n o i t i h a s n e sa n n e a v en

T W h m t h y di d
o o t p y e no ra .

A d th h i t
n e c g wh i h l t w
or s e rs t g’
s on , c a e as s o s r on ,

F lt d with
a er e t ti c on s ern a on ,

F thor h h d id k
e c ur c t hq k e h k r oc a s an e ar ua s oc

U pl ift d it f e d ti s ou n a on .

Ad n d w h d lik t h t mp t b l t
a sou n as ear e e ru e
’
s as ,

Th t h ll a d y w k th d d
s a on e a a e e ea

Th e t g hu h d
s r on c ld b rc m -
o or c o u ear n o o r e,

A d t h b lt
n d th b
e o th y fl d 5
s an e ar s e e

A d th t p li gh t w xti g i h d quit
’

n e a ers as e n u s e e,

A d th h i t
n f i tly g
e c or s ers a n s un ,

A d t h p i t di m y d p t d d p y ed
n e r es s , s a e ,
an e an ra ,

A d n ll i t i h
on a f
sa n s id n ea v en or a

Th y ll d with t mbli g t g
e ca e re n on ue .

Adi h
n m wi t h y
n e ca ffl m e e es o a e,

Th d il t f t h t h d d
e ev o e c e ea ,

A d ll t h h
n a h wi th hi p
e c gl w d
ur c s r es en c e o e

L ik fi yf e a der u rn a c e r e .

H l i d hi h d
e a th i
s hi
an s on e r on c a n s,

A d l ik fl th y m l d d
n e ax d e ou er e as un er ,

A d th
n ffi lid whi h w b d fi m
e co n ,
c as ar r e so r ,

H b u t w i th hi
e rs i fth d s v o ce o un er .

An d he ha d t he Old w om an o fBerk el ev ri s e,

An d c om e wi th h er m a st er a wa y
A co ld s we a t t t ed
s ar on th at c old
p c or s e,

At t he v oi c e sh e wa s f dt b yor c e o o e .

S he r os e o n f ti h er ee n h wi d i g h t
er n n -
s ee ,

Her d dfl hq i
ea es u v er e d wi th f ear ,
 DE M ONOL O GY E V E R Y W H ERE . 2 45

An d a g
li k th t wh i h t h ld w m g
r o an e a c e O o an av e

N d id m t l h
ev er or a ear .

S h f ll w d h
e m t t th
o o eh hd er as er o e c ur c -
o or ,

Th t d bl k h
er e s o o th 5 a ac or s e er e

Hi b th w s d li k f u
r ea e m k as r e e rn a c s o e,

Hi y lik s em t gl
es e a e eor s
’
ar e .

Th d i l h fle
g h
ev t h h e e un er on e ors ,

A d h l pt p b f r 5
n e ea u e o e

A d w y li k t h light i g p d th y w t
n a a e e n n
’
s s ee e en ,

An d sh e was s e en n o m or e .

T hy e but h
s aw i h er no m or e , er cr es

F f mi l ord t h y ld h
o ur es r o un e c ou e ar ,

A d h ild
n t t t t h i m th
c r en a r es a e r o er s
’
br eas t
St t d d e m d wi th f
ar e an s cr a e ear .

S OU TH E Y .

CHAPT ER V .

MY C ONNE C TI O N W ITH M EN OF LE TTER S .

H A VIN G possessed m yself o fthe v ulgar great as well as o f

the refuse o fthe world I am n o w about t o assume do m inion ,

am o n g the m e n of science and literature The story is long .

and m y ti m e is short I can give only on e o r t w o instances

. .

The eighth to the twelfth centuries are s t eps up to the

throne o fm y empire E verywhere magic an d similar pseudo
.

scien c es everywhere demonology Can I n o t boast o f such

,
.

s c holars as Pope Sylvester II Albert the Great St Thomas .

, , .
,

Pierre d Ailly Roger Bacon Arnauld de Villeneuv e

’

,
True , ,

rigid and exacting theology forba d the black arts but how ,

easy for m e to n ul lify the prohibition ! Mine w ere the think

ers the great souls of the age They even thought they w ere
,
.

thro wing the po wers of hell into chai ns w hil e in reali ty I ,

held the m in m y hands and employed them at my pleasure .

Belief in m agi c w as universal God was replaced by Satan 5 .

o r at least the lat t er was a c knowledged by the side o f t h e

246 FRO M THE E IG H TH TO THE W ELF TH C EN TUR Y
T .

former At the voice o f the enchanter the tempest sank

.
, ,

the waves grew calm the skiff glided safely over the waters
, ,

o r the w inds broke their chains and traversing the ocean , , ,

b ore me their master o n their tranquil back A breath ex .

temp orized armi es 5 at a breath they v anished When the .

magician spake t igers lost their ferocity and reptiles the ir

,

venom .

F alse scienc e and true were stra n gely blended together if ,

indeed the distinction was really recognized The employ .

ment Of m agic was a ground Of distinction The author o f .

L Ym a g e d a rll o n d e is seriously annoyed at any that speak ill

’

“ ”
o fthe science o fsciences They are he says mere ig n o .
, ,

r am u s es w h o dare t o calumniate what they d o not p ossess ,

simply be c ause not only do they not possess it but are ig n o , ,

rant o fits intrinsic virtues .

D uring the ten t h century so ste rile in appearanc e and s o ,

little given t o letters the following centuries received their

,

life and were prepared fo r their birth Then too k place in .

t he intellectual world a process o f transformatio n pr o ducing ,

materials for a new literature new moral conditions a n e w , ,

mental world It was the inte rval b etw een the acts which
.

allowed a c ompletely n ew arrange m ent behind the scenes .

T W O fabulous chronicles fil led with de m ons composed d uring , ,

tha t century b ecame the starting point Of the literature o f

,
-

the follo wing ages 5 that o f the pseudo Turpin the origin o f -
,

the nu m erous romances Of Charle m agne and that publishe d ,

by Ge o fl ry o fMonmo u th the origin o f the still more num e ,

rous romances o f The R ound Table ”

The elements o fthes e .

fictions were miracles relics the intervention o fangels s aints

, , , ,

demons 5 themes taken from C h ristian history 5 enchantments ,

magic traditional giants fashionab l e d w arfs fantastic appa

, , ,

r it i o n s deeds o fmartial heroism

,
In the midst o fthis diabolic .

literature two currents appeared which divergin g at t h e first , , ,

united afterwards In Franc e magic had the ascendency 5 in

.
,

E ngland fairy lore 5 and the latter absorbed the form er In

, .

F rance the chronicle the legend the roman c e present n o

, , , ,
 R O M UL U S AN D RE M U S O V ER A GA IN .

in the deserts of E thi opia R obert o fL incoln in his Tr es o r .

,

d e l An i e ( The Soul s Treasure ) a m plifies the m arvels Of the

’ ’

der g ro u nd purgatory ofSaint Pat ric iu s O ther amplifi ca

-
.

tions Ofthe Treasury gave pictures o fpurgatory s o vivid that ,

pil grim s took the ma t ters in earnest and by tho u sands ln ,

qu ired their way thither .

I m ust als o mention L e L i vr e d es S a in ts An g es ( The B ook

o fthe Holy Angels
) composed by th e
, F ranciscan monk F ran =

ois who died In 1 3 9 2 which giv es the curious law suit of

c , ,

m yself v ers us Chris t .

The ro m anc e of L es F a its Wer vei llea x d e V irgi le (The I

Mira culous D eeds Of Vir gil ) afl o r d s a curious and striking

’

instance of the way in which in cre dulous ages fi c tions beco m e

fa c ts and dealers in m agi c princes Ofhell thus illustrati n g h o w
, , ,

I wh o a m but hu m an n at ure m irro red in language pass for a

, ,

m alignant being second in p o wer to Go d hi m sel f

, .

The
,
hero o f the s t ory is a son o f R emus Wh il e he i s .

studying magic in the college o fToledo R o mulus resolves to ,

take p ossession of his inheritance 5 but infor m ed of the fac t ,

by his i m ps the young magician return s i n tim e to foil his

,

un c le s nefarious designs D uring a year the nephe w aided

’

.
, ,

by diab olical resour c es plays like a c at with a mou s e o n

, , ,

R o m ulus so efi e c t u ally as to reduce the founder o fR ome to

,

so m iserable a condition that he is comp elled to o wn him self

,

overco m e and to allow the youth to enj oy his rights in pea c e

, .

Then the latter a c t In g In full li ber ty p asses his time in fall

, ,

ing in love with damsels in parts very distant from himself -

and fro m each other He marries the daughter o fa Sultan

.

o fBabylon and travels on aerial bri d ges o fwhich clouds form

, ,

the buttresses As a mere ga m e o fplay he fo unds the c ity

.
,

of N aples erects in it a colum n o n the top o fw hi ch he places

, ,

a talis m anic blue b ottle which will preserve the city fro m all
,

wi nged insec t s He erects at one of the gates t w o statues o n e

.
,

o fwhi c h bears f o r na m e Jo yeuse s t B elle Beaut iful and Joyous

( , ) ,

the other Tr is te et Hi d e as e ( Ugly and Sad ) W h oever enters the

,
.

city by the for m er succeeds in all hi s affairs 5 w hoever enters

 '
THE M A GIC IA N S TA LK IN G H E A D
’
. 249

the city by the second is conde m ned to u niversal failure .

Another statue m ade of brass is in reality a trum pet thro u gh

, , ,

w hich the winds w hen hi gh rushing in fury lash the sea , , ,

into a rage and drive the p oisons Ofthe Pu z z e o li m arshes do w n

,

into the ocean He constructs a huge brazier holding c ons t ant

.

fire whose heat prote c ts the inhabitant s against the chills Of

,

night A se c ond statue of brass is ar m ed with a bo w and

.

arro w ready for use whi ch will extinguish the fire if the
, ,

arrow is di scharged and it discharges itselfif the b ow is but ,

touched L ong di d it remain untouched till at last a sim

.
,

l e t o n put his finger o n t h e h o w The fire at once went out

p .
,

and thousands p erished fro m t h e cold .

If however I w ished to describe what a mag ician may b e

, ,

and do under m y assistance I sho uld ha v e to tell of a huge ,

m irror w hich r efl e c t s all the deeds and thoughts o f e v ery

,

inhabitant of a whole city But this w a s never in great .

reques t m os t peopl e preferring to have no spies over t heir

,

persons and t heir breas t s There was a greater de m and for a .

bronze hor s e which cured brother horses when sick by castin g

,

a look upon the m Still m ore in fashion was a talkin g head .

,

whi ch reported to t h e magician all he w anted t o kno w You .

h ave only to go to N aples and you may hear fro m the native ,

c icer o n e all abou t t hese and other m ar v ellous contrivances .

I m ay add en p a ss a n t that it is by speaking heads Ofgigantic

di m ens i ons that I become acquainted w ith m en s thoughts and
’

deeds O f these gentle m en o f the press vulgarly term ed

.
,
”

reporters I have one placed in each Of the fo ur quarters o f

,

hell c orresponding to your four quarters of the glo be They

, .

co m m unicate w ith m e either sep arately or through the medi um

of a central head w hence I learn at the sam e m oment what ,

thought said or done in any and in all parts Of the inha

,

bited earth .

F ictions as extravagant as this readily Obtained credence in

the dar k ages w hich in c onsequence greedily s w allo wed all that
,

w as t o l d t h e m by pri es t s or poets respe c ting m e and my concerns .

D O you doubt this ? Then kn o w that in the twelfth cen

 D E V IL A ND DR F A U S TU S
’
“ ”
250 THE . .

—
t ury the Marvell ous F acts o fVirgil had become history fo r
the N eapolitans as yo u m ay learn if yo u w ill read a narrative
,

w ritten by John of Salisbury as well as the Life o fSaint Guil ,

laume founder of the Abbey o f M o n t v i erg e Indeed yo u

, .
,

need go no further than the name Virgil its elf Thi s hero o f .

ro m ance was confounded with the p oet o fMantua In the .

t w el fth century the confusion was c omplete The s ame took .

pla c e in later days with ano t her name .

The tale is w orth tellin g In order to gai n credence t h e .

,

fabrica tor entered into partic ul ars John F aus t the celebrated .
,

magician and n e c romancer w as b orn at the end o fthe fifteenth ,

century in the coun try o fAnhalt He fir st studi e d at Ingol

,
.

stadt in Bavari a then at Wittenb erg in Saxony acquiring

, ,

—
all the kno wledge o ft h e age t heology jurisprudence philo , ,

sophy astronomy and giving special attention to the occult

, ,

s c iences such as astrology chiro m anc y de m onology Awe alt hy

, , ,
.

relative having bequeathed him a large fortune he gave hi mself ,

up to all ki nds o f exc ess I m poverished thereby he sold his

.
,

soul t o me wh o as the fiction run s appeared to him under

, , ,

the form o fa g rey friar named M ep his t o p hil e s By the c o m

,
.

pact he gave me right o f p ossession over his b o dy and s oul

, ,

o n c ondition that I would serve his purposes dur ing t w enty

four years Accordingly my slave succeeded in everythin g

.
,

he underto ok He even w rought miracles profu s ely The

. .

hour ca m e for his de livering him self up t o me 5 but inst ead

o fdoing so like an honest man he decamped Thus another , .

villain was thrown o n society and I was cheated o fmy prey , .

Th e p eople laughed and the priests chuckled TO do the .

devil was clever and fro licsome I have said the tale w as .

w orth telling My reason was that it depicts t h e spirit of

.
,

the age N one the less is that spiri t depicted in the fac t
.

that so manifest a fi c tion passin g into his t ory m ade my frau

d ul en t creditor identical w ith F aust ( o r F ust) the goldsmi th ,

of Mayence wh o shares wit h Guttenberg and S ch afl er the

,

honour Of having invented the art Of printing I may also .

re mark that t h e detection of this transition confirms my doc

25 2 THE P O P E A ND S A TA N .

Gerbe rt , a young monk o fAurillac in Fra n ce whose birth ,

is half Sa t anic flees from his convent t o go t o study the occul t

-

s c iences in the U niversity o fToledo Already ad v anced in .

th at study he finds it easy t o deceive the confi d ence Of t h e

,

tuto r under whom he places hi m self and again runs a w ay , ,

carrying with him a work o n magic whic h he has stolen fro m ,

his m aster The professo r infor m ed of the escape calls to his

.
, ,
'
aid h is astrological knowledge and pursues the fugitive under , ,

indications supplied by the stars Ge rber t has recourse t o .

the same art in order t o e v ade his pursuer The pup il h o w

, .
,

ever proves inferior t o the teacher Ge rber t is o n the point

,
.

o fbeing caught w hen he tries a masterly trick In Order t o

, .

interrupt the scent in V irtue Of which the latter tracks the

former he suspends himself u n der the vaul t o f a bridge and
, ,

t h ere re m ains like Mohamed s co ffin b etween earth and ,

’

heaven The learned and skilful hunter gives up the chase

. .

Thus a t liberty Gerbe r t returns into F rance and makes , ,

good use o fhis science and his volume t o climb t o h ono urs
a n d dignities As a final and infallible means o fsuccess h e
.
,

m akes a covenant wi th me (the parchments can be produced

before a duly q u alifie d tribunal I) and with my aid enclose s
-

o n e o f my cleverest young fello w s in a speaking head by ,

which he keeps i n constant c ommunication w ith me and I ,

with h i m .

Aided by m y bes t resources he even becomes Pope and , ,

si t s i n the chair o fSaint Peter with as good a right as m os t ,

others who bear t h e name However I a m n o t fond o fgiving .

,

u ncon d itioned titles Absolute realities are managed with .

difficulty and so Ge rbe rt is n o t t o say m ass in Jerusalem

,
.

N o w there w as at that tim e o fd ay In the centre o fthe Campus ,

Martiu s at R ome a statue which bore this inscription S tr ike , ,

here pointing w ith its finger t o s o m e distant place

,
Curiosity .

was excited Where was it ? What was it ? Many struck

.

the statue itself Many struck the g round in different parts . .

Ge rb e r t wit h a W Is e r head carefully traced the S pot to which

, ,

the fin g er pointed There he struck and there h e dug until .

, ,
 P O PE C ON TR AC T ENFOR C ED 53
’
THE S .

aft er untold labour he came upon a subterranean palace built ,

o fgold with gold furniture and gol d statues

,
Th e principal .

hall was lighted up by a gold chandelier wh ich gave forth a

body o flight eq ually soft and brilliant .

HOW does the pope s heart leap and b ound for j oy’
Here
are treasures literally inexhaustible He resolved forthwith .

t o send a whole wagon load to R o m e The wagon is obtained

-
.
,

the horses are harnessed the servants proceed to carry a way

,

the articles whi c h Gerbe rt prefers N o t o n e Of th e m will .

move There they stand as if riveted to the spot by adam an

.

tine bars an d bonds In his ex tremity the pope consults his

.
,

magical Bible He consults it but gains no light

.
,
.

He falls into a rage and bids t h e slaves tear the t hings fro m
,

their place They lay their hands o n a c apacious bag o fgold

. .

But that moment a golden archer standing in a corner of t h e ,

hall shoots an arrow wh ich extinguishes the lights o f the

,

splendi d candelabra and leaves the whole in d arkn ess as bla c k

,
.

as that o fWinter midnight The bag Of gold is dropped Then . .

the lights rekindle Ofthem selves Again the servant s hand is .

’

o n the bag and har d ly has he touched it when aga i n the lights
,

go o u t Seized and frozen with terror Ge rbert and his fol

.
,

lowers hasten from the ill omened spot -

.

He closed the mouth o f the cavern and m ade his way to ,

Jerusale m Arrived there he was tempted to say mass on

.
,

the very spot where his divine Master had s ufl e re d crucifixion .

Had he n o t once before done the sa m e and nothing had co m e ,

o fit ? Was he t o be afraid Of Satan ? he who was the r ep re

se n t at iv e o fChris t and the organ o fthe Holy Spirit o n earth ?

He enters the Church Of St John o f Jerus al em outside .

the walls o f the city Of D avid and b egins the sacred service ,

full of holy courage Clad in p o n tifi cals and attended by a

.

large choir in procession bearing crosses the m os t elaborate,

and glittering he ascends the steps kneels at the altar and

, , ,

op ens his Missal E re he can utter a w o rd he is stru c k du mb

.
,

and prostrate by a rushing wind ho wling with infernal cries ,

and shouting Your soul is forfeit ! your s oul is forfeit ! O nce

“
,
25 4 HOW LE G END S B E C O M E F AC TS .

you did s u cceed t o break

y our o a t h O nce yo u received a -
.

warning in the golden c ave N O more indulgence Yo ur end . .

is come
The pontiff was taken up and carried home Conscience .

stricken he remembered the c ontract into whi ch he had

,

entered with me Yes 5 he had gained the great obj ect o f

.

h is ambitio n by my aid and having broken faith with me he , ,

k new he mu st die .

But he was a perfect master o f magic Might he n o t save .

his soul from my hands H e gives his last c ommands in due

form and ac cording t o the prescriptions saying AS soon as ,

the breath is o ut o fmy body cut it in pieces and scatter the m ,

over and around thi s chamber They are baits which L evia .

than cannot resist Yo u will see h im either here o r there in

.

the shape o fa crocodile F all o n him put a ring in his nose .

, ,

and confi n e him in the deep est crypt o f the Church Of Saint
”
John .

I was however t o o wily t o be caught by s o worthless a

, ,

thi ng Instead o f my occupying t hose vaults Gerbert lay

.
,

there that is what remained o fhim lay there And there

,
.
,

the credulous say he lies still in a marble tomb the p r Op h et ic

, ,

perspiration o fwhich has never ceased t o fo r e t el t o the eternal

city n o w the dea th o f its p o n t ifl s and n o w the evils with
’

which they are threat ened .

Thi s legend some features o f whi ch are reported by Car

,

dinal Benon in his Life o f P ope Hildebrand considered as ,

historical already less than a ce n tury after the death o f the

,

veritable Gerbe rt is narrated by S ig eber t wh o died in 1 1 1 2

, , ,

and in much greater detail by Willia m o f Malmesbury wh o ,

died in l 1 4 1 In the foll owing century it became unques tio n

.

able history Vincent de Beauvais Helin an d Al beric Marti n

.
, , ,

Po l o n u s repro d uce it as such un hesitatingly

,
.

Why then may n o t I a mere figment have become in

, , , ,

men s apprehension a veritable fact ? And as that transfor m a

’

tion has b een detected and exposed m ay not my personality ,

return into the aerial state o ut Of which it grew ?

25 6 As C O MPA R ED W ITH W IZA RD S .

l oad I plead guilty Miserable am I in t he t h ought how

. .

r eadily and h o w fully I len t m yself t o those innumerable

barbarities But then w h o is at the bottom t o blame ? The
.
,

substance itself which lay in the V ices o f hu m anity and n o t

, ,

the shadow under w hose name popes kings j udges and c o m , ,

m o n alit y raged against an incrim inated class o f persons who

,

we re really as innocent as the n e w bo rn babe And if I feel -

.

j ustified in claiming extenuation o n the ground o f being but

an instrum ent I must in j ustic e add that ecclesiastical cruelty
,

and civ il inj us t ice though they were m y masters and em ,

p yl o ers may in
,
their turn j ustifiably claim t o be only acces
'

s o r i e s to the great criminal society itself w hich maddened , , ,

with frightful phanto ms o f all sorts rushed as is its W ont , , ,

I nto cruelt i es the most atrocious In which it revelled even f or ,

centuries
In this horrid cru sade against itself society spared neither ,

high n o r l o w Popes kings princes were sco urged with

.
, , ,

ro d s made by their o wn hands The crime an d punish m ent .

o f witchcraft w as indiscriminately universal N evertheless .

,

the weak su ffered most Yo u rea d Of fe w wizards while .

,

witches are innu m erable N o r was this mortal preference .

totally blind M a lefi ca r a m t o ta s fer e es t g lo bus d icita r en im

.
,

fm
e i n a a f e et m i n us , g u i a se mp er mi rro r em ha bet et s er va t

fi d em ,
et 5 that
ho c I s Witchcraft is all but
etc n a ta r a ,

exclusively in the hands o f women the very name Wo m an

itself d en o t es a faithless thi ng 5 besides woman has and keeps ,

less faith than man and this faithlessness has its roots in h er ,

nature C ertainly m an availing hims elfo fhis superior brute

.
, , ,

force has inflicted many inj uries o n woman 5 but n ever within
, ,

my reading did he put so m uch o f insult and injustice into

,

a charge as is contained in the reason he here assigns fo r the

gigantic and monstrous persecutions he has carried o n against
w itches .

Here is a v er s ifi ed for m o f a description o f the co m mon

parish witch An o ld wo m an w ith a wrinkled fac e a furred ,

brow a hairy lip a gobber tooth a squint eye a squeakin g

, , , ,
 WHA T IS A W IT CH ? 25 7

voice and a scolding tongue having a rugged coat o n her ,

back a skull cap on her head a S pindle in her hand and a

,
-

, ,

dog o r cat byher side .

”

Aw it ch is one wh o has entered into a covenant with Satan

o n certain conditions namely he undertakes to serve her in
, ,

o n e p oint o r in m any provided she puts her so ul into his

,

po wer T his is the essence o fw itchcraft With the c o n c e p

. .

tions entertained of my despotis m and my resources the pre ,

valence o fco m pacts of thi s natur e put the world into my hands
to use and abus e at m y pleasure What then is such an .
, ,

a gree m ent but a denial of Heaven and the Church ? Heaven

and the Chur c h accordingly are against the c ontracting parties ,

w h o are guilty o fhigh t reason terrestrial and celestial But , .

the c elestial po w e r h as delegated its j iirid ical functions to the

sacerdotal and the sa c erdotal wielding that awful authority
, , ,

feels the need o f a ruthless syste m of c rimi n al j urisprudence ,

e lse its o w n interests and t h e interests of heaven will pass

into my hands Hence war to the knife between the Church

.

a n d Satan Aw are of the extreme magnitude o f the issue

.
,

the Chur c h delibera t ely and carefully prepares for the con
fl ic t
. What better co ul d it do than assu me the shield of
Scripture o n e word of which w as kno w n to possess power to
,

put m e to flight ? Accordingly Moses is brought o n the ,

field and h eard to declare th at witches and wizards b ei n g

, ,

ab o minations In the sight o f Go d m ust be extirpated by ,

the Church God s representative (D eut xvii i 1 0 s e q ) Here

,
’
. .
,
.

w a s unquestionabl e and unquestioned authority for a holy w ar

against witchcraft Bu t w here are the legions O f
. fi cers and ,

men who will im plicitly receive and faithfully Obey the orders
,

o f the supre m e pontiff the god o n earth w hose throne is o n

, ,

the seven hill s ? The D o minicans and the Inquisition come

into existenc e at the Pope s c o mmand for the purpose The
’
.

army is organiz ed and fully equipped for the war 5 the enemy
—
is exactly described his crimes and his punishments An d .

the dogs of w ar are let loose rabid w ith ecclesiastical fur y ,

and begirt w ith irresistible civil po we r The war whi c h has .

,
258 P AP A L C RU S A DE A G A IN S T W ITCHC R A F T .

scarcely ended yet went o n for many centuries with increasing

,

rag e and ruin O f all t h e w ickedness and foll y which human

.

ity has co m mitted none equals this deadly crusade in terror

,

an d desolation Yet none so groundless The whole fro m

. .
,

first t o last was a huge and frightful delusion S o b arefaced is

,
.

the decep t ion o n all sides that everywhere beyond the dark ,

es t spots Of papal darkness and despotism the very name o f ,

witch once S O terrible is n o w an Obj ect o f contempt scorn

, , ,

o r derision What then are the facto r s Of this huge and

.
, ,

devastatin g imp osture ? The Pope o n o n e side Satan o n the ,

other and debased and down trodden humanity in the mi dst

,
-
.

It is fair to j udge potentates by the manifest e ffects o f their

rule L o ok then o n man as blinded m anacled fettered
.
, , , , ,

w ounded and bruised by the papacy in conflict with me ;

and having looked o n the poor victi m again and again give
, ,

your verdict and pronounce your j udgment Yo u find the .

papacy guil ty Of high treason against Go d an d man and write ,

t hi s writing ( D an v 2 5 ) . .

MENE M E N EL TEKEL UPHAR S IN , , ,

GOD HATH NU MB ERED THY K IN GD O M A ND F IN IS HE D IT .

When the papacy is no more then will the religion o f ,

Jesus reign and rule and then t o o will my e m pire vanish ,

w ith that which if not its origin has been its principal sup
, ,

port Sacerdotalism and kingcraft no more m ankind will

.
,

hav e reached its ideal and in doing so made my rule no ,

longer a po ssibility A thoroughly t rain e d a n d fully developed

.

rac e o f men wil l no more be accessible to the ill usion o f

Satanical possession than the o r d in ar v ploughman is n o w ,

afraid o f ghosts o r hobgoblins This mos t desir able result is .

doubtless far perhaps very far distant 5 but wh o can look

,

from t h e pure serene and wholeso m e air o f the pres ent back
,

into the atmosphere o fthe middle ages Odorous with sul phur , ,

lurid with flame disturbed with demons and laden and dark
, ,

ened with priests W ithou t feeling assured that a few more

,

centuries o f continued if not accelerated progress will have , ,

260 A ND S UE E ER S MA R TYRD O M .

h o ur s , d
in augmenting the temporal power of the Holy
an

See . To sati s fy his am bition says a high authority “

he , ,
f

trod under foot divine and hu m an laws and did not fear to ,

hav e recourse t o p e rfi d y and p erhaps even p oison He died , .

in 1 5 0 3 poisoned it is s aid by drinking a draught he had

, , ,

prepared for one of his vi c tim s The state o f society over .

w h ich such a man could have been the spiritual head must
h ave been very de praved Thi s single fact explains t h o ap .

e ar an c e o f the D o mini c an monk S avonarola w h as w ith

p o , ,
”
the voice of an archangel and the trump of God uttere d
, .

hi s terrible rebukes against the vices o f the Pope and the

vices of the w orld foretelling the greatest c ala mities to Italy
,
.

an d the refor m of the Church by the sword o f Charles VIII .

“
W o e to thee R o m e ! he exclaimed 5 woe to thee F lo
,
“ ”
,

rence ! I see the Alps covered with clouds o fbarbarians wh o ,

rush do w n on Italy like eagles on their prey W hat blo od .

,

great Go d ! what blood in the streets o f the cities S atan is

the princ e o f the air and Go d grants him permi ssion to use ,

his p ower to harden those who insul t him by crimes so

?

monstrous I hear the voice o f the g rave digger w h o cries

.
-

‘ ’
as he goes Who has any to bury ? wh o has any to b ury ?
,

This one brings h im his father that o n e his w ife a third his , ,

son . O Italy array thyself in m ourning w eeds

,

S avonarola p oured forth the indignation he felt at seeing

p agan art revive in R o m e and Italy under all for m s He .

endeavo ur ed to create a C hr istian art H e founded schools .

o fart encouraged artists ai m ed at a ra di c al refor m expecting

, , ,

from it the b est results in favour o f religion His genius .

w a s equal to so serious a task 5 but he reckoned t o o mu c h o n

the support o f an enervate d and i m pressionable people His .

b oldness arous ed hi s enemies He w as thr o w n into prison . .

He su ffered m artyrdom and multitudes stood by in

total indif ference What else c ould b e exp ected in an age whi c h
.

end ured the turpitude o f Pop e Alexander VI T hi s ev e nt .

D ict i on n ai r e U i n v e rs e l d His t oir e,

’
-

p ar M N B o uill et P r o vis eur d u

. .
,

C o ll eg e Bour b on .
 P RE V A LEN C E OF S A TA N IS M . 261

calls forth fro m a R o m an Catholi c authority these w ords

Satan triu mphed 5 the revival o f letters tu rned aside fro m ,

its proper direc t ion r e m ained pagan ,

In o n e sense this is .

t rue I did triumph in thus supporting that m an o f ini

.

q u it y .L ooking back upon the event I am grieved beyond ,

m e asure O yes ; do not be astonished I have moved wit h

. .

my age 5 and I c annot regard things n o w in this nineteenth

century as I regarded the m in the fifteenth And yet in .

rep orting to you my Au t obiography I ought to report the ,

state Of m ind I felt at every successive st age o f my very

lengthened li fe .

Give a specially attentive ear excellent and patient Theo ,

p hil u s while in
,
fast ascending to the throne o f this lo w er
world I subj oin a few sketches illust rative o f the hold I had
,

durin g the fo ur teenth fifteen t h an d sixteenth centuries o n

,
'

the hearts and lives o f the highest individuals in the highest

r anks o f so c iety Th e shado w s will be very deep
. D eepe r .

might they be easily made 5 but fro wning and dis gra c eful as
they are they describe not m y influence al o ne but that o f
, ,

the Church and o fthe S tate Aft er all how can w ords paint .
,

the horrible evils whi ch Satanis m in the shape Of astrology , ,

magic and other bla ck arts inflicted on high as well as l o w , ,

o n the learned as well as the ignorant o n men wo m en and , ,

children in all classes and conditions ? Justice to t he subj e c t

,

my w ords cannot do 5 but they m ay exercise s ome infl uence

to i n duce you m y pupil and others alike pure s imple minded
, , ,
-

benevolent and earnest to strive to the utmos t for the extin e

,

tion of this Satanical hydra .

About the year 1 3 7 0 the wise Charles V founded in Paris

,
.

t h e C oll ege de N o t re D a m e de Bayeux the di re c tion o fw hich

-

he entr usted to Gervais Chr é tien who is des c ribed as a cano n ,

as w ell as head physician and as t rologer in his m aj est y s

“ ’

pay .
”
O ther astrolo g ers w er e in favour in his c our t An d r e .

de Sully c ast the horoscope o f Charles V L the D uke o f ,

O rleans and D uke John o fBurgundy .

In imitation o f the king prin c ely hous es and great per ,

 62 P R IN C ES C ON TR OLLED BY A S TR O LO G ER S .

s o n ag e skept astrologers in their service N o t only did these .

men o fscienc e exercise their art o n behalf o ftheir e m ployers ,

they discharged the hig hest functions as their representatives

at ho m e and abroad Astrology and divi n ation o f all kinds
.

took an intimate part in the different events Of li fe N o t a .

hero was there whose history was n o t foretold A nun read .

o n the hand and in the features o fBertrand d u Gu es clin that

he would o n e day be the saviour Of F ran c e predicting t he ,

fact when he had scarcely quitted his cradle A necro m ancer .

o f Toledo h a d Often a n nounced that Henri de Tr a n s t am ar e

w ould b ecome ki n g o f Spain long before the thought entered

his head And yet nothing was more fu t ile than these pre
.

dictio n s E v erything was divined beforehand without a n y

.
,

thing being prevented It was as if the people that were

.

thr eatene d by prophecies did their best to prevent their acco m ~

li s h m en t An old sorceress o f Grenada predicted t o Peter

p .

the Cruel that he w ould murder his excellent wife and in ,

c onsequence lose his cro wn He remembered the word s only .

when too late D ri v en from his throne he again had recourse

.
,

t o divination 5 and the learned clerk w hom he consulted told

him after a m agical operation that he would rec over h is
, ,

kingdom that he would n o t amend his life and that he would

, ,

lose his dominions again S O it cam e t o pass . .

The credit o f astrology w as not lessened d uring the reig n

o f the successor o f Charles V Scarcely h ad he returned .

from his expedition into F landers when an E nglish knight , ,

n amed Peter de C ourtena y reputed fo r bravery and who , ,

Stood high in the graces o f the king o f England ca m e into ,

F rance and defied its chivalry by challenging Guy de la Tre

m oille t o single co mbat lV it h permission fro m the k ing
.
,

de la Tr é m o ill e accepted the ch allenge 5 but wishing t o p u t

the chance OII his side he consulted the court astrologers
, .

Having consulted the heavens according t o the rules they , ,

fixed the d ay fo r the duel promising that the E nglish man ,

would b e defeated and pro m isin g also a radiant sun t o throw

,

splendour o n the occasion The time came 5 but the sun

.
2 64 THE J E W S O B TA IN REL IEF BY AS T RO LO G Y .

self in order by so signal an exa mple t o prove the certainty

, , ,

o f astrologica l scien c e Those learned personages had fo u nd

.

in the aspect o fMars and Jupiter w h o they s aid presided at , , ,

the birth o f the L ord t h e exact nu mber o f de m ons that he

,

would expel and discovered the kind o fdeath he w as t o die

, .

Charles VIII shared his father s weakness in regard t o

.
’

astr ology He paid t w o hundred c rowns for a celestial sphere

.

constructed by Guillaume de Carpentras Acc ordingly in an .

,

ordinance w hich h e put forth again st diviners and sorce rers ,

he did n o t m ention astrologers These pra ctising what was .

,

thought a respectable art given up t o profound studies and ,

learned spec ul ations proudly disdain ed all contact w ith magic

, ,

and w hen at a later time the Chu rch c ondemned their books
, ,

and their predictions felt equal surprise and indignation

,
.

Whilst astrology thus disturbed and beclouded all t h e rela ~

tions o f life w hen it did not lead to dea d ly crimes it o c ca

, ,
d

s io n all
y did so m e good service N o outcasts w ere s o oppressed .

and inj ured in the middle ages as the Jews Always driven .

a w ay they al w ays came back E v en so early they had in a

,
.
,

mea s ure b eco m e bankers to societ y The p ower o fthe purse .

,

when aided by the p ower Of astrology Obtain ed fo r the m ,

so m etimes a m itigation o f their hard lo t Their business .

brought them into close relations w ith t h e higher n obility ,

w hose luxury m ade p ecuniary assistance very welcome 5 and

so the sons o f Israel became possessed o f secret s which they
well kne w h o w to turn t o account .

If L ouis X L wh o deceived everybody deserved to be ma d e

, ,

a dupe in his turn the credit belongs to an astrologer The

,
.

w ise m an predi c ted the death Of a lady to whom t he prin c e

w a s strongly at t ached The event j ustified the prediction
. .

“
The outraged king sent for t h e astrologer and said Thou , ,
”
kno w est a great deal 5 dos t thou know w hen thou shalt die ?
Yes he firm ly replied 5 three d ays before your Maj esty
,
.

A science w hich having no s olid gro u nd was Often falsified

, ,

by events was led t o employ processes and forms o f spee c h

,

by w hich its patrons c ould in appearance prove the m selves , ,

 V ILE P R AC TIC ES OF AS TROL O GERs . 5

right whatever the pre di c tio n and whatever the even t Hen c e
,
.

a strology be c a m e as false in spirit a im and pra c ti c e as w ere , ,

the oracles of Gree c e A series of equivo c ations evasions and

.
,

deceptive interpretations ens ued w hich deluded the de c eived , ,

and s ustained the deceivers Their phra seology beca m e equally .

o bscure and po m pous They introduced into t heir professional

.

j argon c o m ets eclipses at m ospheric fires Hence a cro w d of

, ,
.

fal s e i mpressions and groundless terrors t h e reign o fw hi c h ,

has not yet c ome to an end Still w ith the m u ltitude celestial .
, ,

pheno mena are a s our c e of ignorant w onder or secret alar m .

An aurora boreali s of i m posing dimensions or unusual brilliancy

p ortends good or ev il accor di ng to the prep ossessions o r the
m o m entary disposition of the Observer In for m er days t hese .
,

ill usions w ere far m ore form idable than n o w The Q ueen .

L ouis e de Savoy w alking in the fores t o fRo m o v an t in on the

,

n ight of the 2 8 t h o fAugust 1 5 1 4 p erceived a c o m et in the , ,

w estern part of the S ky Im m ediately she exclaim ed The .

,

S wiss t h e S wiss c oncluding that her son was then in

c onfli ct w ith the m The battle o f Marignan verified her

.

second sight O f course she became a fir m believer i n astro

-
.

logy In 1 5 3 1 three days b efore h er death she w as s o

.
, ,

s m i t ten w ith fear at the sight of another co m et that she c ould ,

n o t b e tranquill ized and fell b eneath a sligh t in di sposition

,

that m ight else have been easily re m oved It is said she .

,
”
,

“
a sign w hich God gives not for low people but for us the , ,
”
great It is there for me 5 I mus t prepar e
. She di ed o f
fear .

The spirit of the age was undergoing change The subtle .

ties and craft Of the astrologers begat suspi c ion or d isbelief

in really sup erior min d s The m agnanimous s on o fL ouise .

de Savoy F ran cois I despised astrology as m uch as Charles

,
.
,

V .
,
his adversary held it in repute Astrology w as then
, .

fashi onable in Spain Charles love d a s trologers and paid the m

.

well He did n o t al w ays receiv e his re w ard It w as i n virtue

. .

o fan astrologic al pre di ction that hi s great captain the famous

,

Anto n y d c L é v e in d uc ed him to under t ake the expedition into

,
'
2 66 A S TROL O GY B E C O M E THE FA S H ION .

Provence which proved so disastrous t o Spain I t was also .

in virtue o f another as t rological prediction that the Marquis

d e S alu c e s aban d oned the cause Of F ran c e to follow that Of
the e mp eror and lost his Marquisate
, .

After the signature o fthe treaty of Madrid made between

t hese t w o potentates the F ren c h court sent the k ing s t w o
’

s ons as hostages into Spain Charles treated them with t h e

.

s ame rigour as the lo w est criminals Scarcely could a ray of .

light make its way into their dungeon F ran cois deputed his .

g entle m an usher B odin to ascertain the facts Arrived o n .

the S pot B odin found the dauphin grown and w ished to take
, ,

h is m easure He was refused He w as not t o tou ch the pri

. .

s ouers NO 5 n o r was he allo wed to put o n the m the velvet

.

trousers he had brough t for the purp ose The c ourt even .

w e n t so f a r a s t o send him back by another road without ,

c arrying wi t h h i m any thing Spanish Why these p r ecau .

t ions ? Charle s feared lest his prisoners should fly a w ay A .

German astro lo ger had offered F ran cois to brin g him his boys
back thro u gh the atmosphere An noyed and distressed though.

t h e king o fF ra n ce w as he replied derisi v ely,

I am not sure ,
”
t hat t h at road is quite safe H owever this high minded
.
,
-

and s cornful princ e had infused into his court and through ,

it into F ra n ce s o m uch disdain for astrology and sorcery of all

,

kinds that it wo uld have been all over with their practi tioners
,

had n o t his queen the Italian Catherine de M edicis succeeded

, ,

i n restoring its p r es tig e for a moment O n entering F rance .

,

she brought in her suite a great number o f m agicians an d

a strologers a mong whom
,
w as the t o o famous Ruggieri a ,

F lorentine whom she honoured with her protection in spite

,

o fhis crimes o r perhaps o n account o fthem and t o whom she

, ,

g ave t h e Abbey de Saint Mah e in Brittany to recompense ,

him for the a nnoyance Of an i m priso n m ent which he had un

d erg o n e for having m ade w axen i m ages in order t o be w itch ,

C harles IX and Q ueen Margaret

. Catherine erected l hOt el .
’

d e Soissons and built an Observatory o n the summit o fwhich ,

she followed the courses of the stars during the night in order ,
2 68 D IAB OL IC E C S TA S Y .

prince (L ouis XII I ) aged from eight t o nine years came for
, ,

w ard wh o made thirty seven o r thirty eight turns

,
-
The queen -
.

had seen enough The Obj ects b ecam e invisible If this was
. .

n q t a h istory dra w n up aft er the events as it was easy to d o ,

when Pasquier wrote there was an error o f a fe w years in,

regard t o the reign o fL ouis XIII which extended from 1 6 1 0 .

,

to 1 6 4 3 .

To her Inclinations toward m agic C at h erine de M edicis ,

added the faculty Of prophetic e c stasy He r d aughter queen .

,

Margaret speaks o f it wi t h a thoroug hl y filial complacency

,
.

To minds in whi c h unco m m on excellence shines Go c she ,

“
says ,
comm unicates kno wle dge o fevents prepared fo r the m ,

w hether goo d o r ha d He does so t o the queen m y mother

.
, ,

w h o during the night preceding the unhappy hunt dreamt that

she saw my father w ounded in the eye Thi s she reported .

“ ”
to him and begged him n o t t o course that day
,
Being .

d angerously ill a t Metz adds the queen o f N avarre and ,

”
,

having around h er bed king Charles my sister and my , ,

b rother Of L orraine besides many da m es and princesses s he

, ,

suddenly cried ou t as if she s a w the battle o f Jarnac See

, ,

how they fly fro m my son Victory ! victory D o yo u s e e

there the prince o fCond é lying dead ? All w h o were there ’

thought she was drea m ing but the night after M de L osse s , .

brought her the news I am w ell aware o f it she replied 5

.
,
’

‘did I n o t see it the day before yesterda ? The n it was

’

y
acknowledged that it was not a feverish dream but special ,

light which Go d gives t o rar e and illustrious persons 5 and for

myself I must say I have never been near signal accidents
, ,

whether sinister o r happy but I received previous notice o f ,

them in a drea m o r otherwise 5 and I c a n well take t o myself

this line
De m o b ie a u m on m al m o es p it m e st o a cl e
’
n n n r r .

I a m my o wn o r a c l e, wh ether for g oo d or i ll .

But the ecstasies o f Catherine d e M é d icis did not giv e

rise to so many dissertations as the famous cabbalistic m ed al
presented t o her by the physician Fe rn el in order t o procure
 PA S S IO N F OR MAG IC . 269

fecundity o n whi c h she no longer re ckoned after t en year s of

,

marriage Catherine is represented upon it in th e m ost i m

.

modes t state surrounded by m ultifor m hieroglyp h s and havi n g

, ,

o n her right h and and her left the constella t ions o fthe B ull

and the Goat and under her feet the name Ebule b As m o d é e
,
-

w ith a j avelin in o n e hand and a heart in the other The ,

.

nam e Ox i e l for m s the device .

Perhaps m ore than astrology m agic was the passion of the ,

.
—
age The constant talk w as o fchar m makers Charms w ere .

made fo r all sorts Of obj e c ts There was a char m to prevent a .

marriage and a charm to render a m arriage u n p r o lific There

,
.

was a char m t o stop a horse run ning at full speed and a charm ,

t o unhorse the most skilful rider O ne c har m prevented t he .

houn d s fro m t aking the game and anot her prevented the g u n ,

fro m discharg ing its contents Amul ets aboun d ed and w ere
, .

used fo r all purposes Of self prote c tion S ociety w aged an -

.

internecine w ar each t rying t o inj ure his n eighbour each

, ,

trying t o protect hi m self If a person fell ill an amulet was.

,

prefer red to m edicine 5 o r if the latter was used it was only , ,

in union with the form er O ne year all the dogs and cats .

Of Rio m w ere taken with m adness F orth with am ulet s were .

in universal demand The law did something t o arrest this

.

m agical insanity N evertheless i t w ent o n The supre m e

.
,
.

j udge o fAncre in F rance boasts o fhaving burnt a multitude

o ffabricators o fchar m s By the side o fthese w ere the g ivers
.

—
Of philters (love potions ) The king o f the R o m ans F rede .
,

ric III called the Handsome died in 1 3 3 0 poisoned by a

.
, , ,

philter give n by a court la d y in order t o preserve the m onar ch s ’

favour to ward her husband By the s am e m eans Valentine .

de Milan poi s oned the unfortunate Charles VI Of F rance

'

. .

The emperor Charles IV died of a philter g i ven h im by his

.

W ife t h e duchess o fCl eves

,
Peter L o t ich ius o n e Of the bes t .
,

German poets Of the day wh o died in 1 5 6 0 and t h e c elebrated

, ,

engraver Henry Gaud o fU trecht re m ained dolts till th eir

, , ,

d eath by the eff ect o f similar draughts By an abuse as .

c riminal as the a ttempt itself the m agi c ians w h o prepared ,

27 0 D IAB OL IC P RED IC TION S .

thes e dri n k s mingled with them sacred things sup erabun

dau tly .

An ecclesiastical writer speaking o fthese follies and crimes

, ,

s ays If j ustice has not funeral piles enough certainly hell ,

”
has plenty o ffires and Satan ought t o be satisfied
,
.

To these in di vidual and social d isorders must b e added

the e ffects o fpredictions and prognostications and prophecies
, , ,

w hich abounded every where The end o f the world was at .

hand A new deluge was about t o cover the globe

. Anti .

”
christ is born t o day An tichrist will appear at the end o f
-
.

the year Thus the pop ul ar mi nd was kept in a state o ffever

.

ish agitation and common life becoming ta me lost all respect

, , ,

and attention Albu maz ar had mentioned the years 1 3 5 5 and

.

1 3 7 6 as fated to be full o f perils fo r society Arnauld de .

Vill eneuve adopted those dates the first for the b irth o fAn t i ,

christ the second fo r the end Of the world But these years
,
.

pro vi ng altogether c ommonplace a German astrologer by , ,

name John L ubec went over the calculations afresh and

, ,

fo und that Antichrist wo ul d b e b orn the 1 0 th of March 1 5 0 4 , ,

at four minut es past six o clock ’

.

Re gio m an t an fixed the year 1 5 2 8 fo r the second delu ge ,

and 1 5 8 8 fo r the end o fthe w orld This pre di ction was laid .

hold Of by S avonarola and he threw it o u t in the midst Of

,

the agi tations o fItaly o n the approach o fthe w ars w ith France .

John S t o fl e r an d Gaspard Bruck took it up and p ut it into

verse S avonarola inserted it in the Liber Mirabilis ( Book
.

Of IV o n d er s) an am ple collection o fpredictions the most threat

,

o ning and the most fit t o move Italian imaginations This .

m agical shell w a s fired Off repeatedly It was printed at Paris .

in 1 5 2 0 reprinted in 1 5 2 3 and then at R o m e in 1 5 2 4 D is

, ,
.

quiet and terror gained ground o n all sides In various parts o f .

E urope prudent persons prepared vessels and provi sions w ith

,

which t o encoun t er the approaching deluge Blaise d Au rio l .

’

professor o fj urisprudence in the College o fToulouse kept as , ,

a m eans o f safety a s m all ship with its rigging under a shed

,

until he died which took place in 1 5 4 0

,
.
2 72 M YR IA D S IMM OL ATED To S A TAN IS M .

t hos e same Gnos tics th at existed in the firs t ages Of Chris

t ian it y and in opp osition to it
, Si m ilar errors spread abroad .
,

from the eighth to the fift eenth century called forth the w atch ,

fuln ess o f the Church and moved its arm for their removal .

Then thousan d s o n thousands o fp oor w retches were given O v e r

to the fla m es in all parts o fE urop e This c ri m e o fGnosti cism .

came fro m Italy into F rance Italy revived and supp orted it . .

The districts Of Como Bergamo and Bres cia w ere infested

, ,

with it to the highest degree In truth those m agi cians w ere .

,

Gnosti c s w hom Pope L eo X in his Bull Ho n es t is reproached

.

with the cri m es o f renoun c ing God baptis m confirm ation , , ,

the immolation o finfants th e w orship of Satan under a visible

,

form c h arm s w itchcraft and si m ilar dealings with the devil

, , , .

So numerous were these that when Bernard Re to g n o sent as

, ,

inquisi t or in 1 5 0 5 into t hos e provinces by Pop e Julius II .

,

had set up his tribunal there he ascertai n ed t hat already th e ,

prosecutions had b een going on for a century an d a half w it h

out applying an e ffectual remedy to the disease And says .
,

Spina t h e evil was so great that the inquisitor and his six
, ,

vicars had to try more than a thousand cri minals every year ,

and accordingly every year delivered many hundred over for

punish m ent to the secular arm In the county Of Burbia .
,

near Co m o i t was proved that those wretches served up the

,

flesh of infants at their feasts O n the occasion the inquisitor.

,

Of Como co mm it ted forty o n e persons to trial all of whom

-

w ere consigned to the flames A greater nu m ber had fled .

fro m j ustice by taking refug e in the Tyrol The Tyrol i t self .

,

and in particular the valley o fOglio was n o t less infes t ed ,

.

The inquisitor Bartholo m e w one night attended o n e o ftheir

sabbaths w ith the mayor o f M a n d ris co and the n otary Of the
Inquisition in order to ascertai n w hat went o n there whe n
, ,

they were so b eaten by those wretches that they died a few

d ays afterwards The only testi m ony that they could give
.

b efore they died was that they saw a m ultitude o fpeople o fall
,

ages and the devil whom they worshiped

,
.

In 1 5 1 7 there w ere fresh inquiries and pu rsuits as a co u se

, ,
 R AV AG E S OF W ITCHC R A F T 27 3

q u e n ce which a gre at nu mber o f the inhabitant s of the

of

valley o fthe Oglio were consu med by fire A revolt en s ued . .

Then prosecutions w ere instituted for sedition But soon .

j ustice had no longer po w er t o execute its verdicts The affair .

was taken up by the tribunal Of Th e Ten at Veni c e and ,

brought to a se ttle m ent without correcting any o n e ; fo r in ,

1 5 2 3 by or d er o f Pope L eo X
,
inquiries an d exam inatio ns
.
,

w ere once m ore m ade in the neighbourhood o fComo against

thes e sam e se c tari es who renounced baptism and to ok Satan
,

fo r their lord and m aster trampling o n the cross and sacred

,

things and casti n g lots o n men and bea s ts S aint Charles

, .

Borro meo bish o p o fMilan hi m self undertook a m ission in

, ,

the valley o fM e s olien o In t he country of the Griso n s By

,
.

fo rce o fsermons patience and pers everance he brought back

, ,

a great num ber Of S inners and r e established order ye t w ith -

o u t being able to prevail w ith ele v en o l d w omen m ore o bs t i ,

nate than the rest more habitually gi v en up to Satanic al

,

practices 5 and also even the mayor o f R overeto ; these he

had to leave in the hands o fthe i n quisitor Sad in 1 4 8 8 w as .

the religious conditi o n o fGerman S wi t zerland and d es t r uc ,

t ive the ravages o fthe L ollards in Au s t ria and Bohe m ia The .

d isorders spread into F ranconia for th e re o n e hundred an d ,

fifty persons w ere committed to the flam es in the year 1 6 2 7

and the t w o follo wing years fo r the cri m es of m agic and
the wo rship o fS atan In F risia M e ckl en berg and O riental
.
,

Russia even in the very hear t of Protestantism , the funer al

,

pile each day devoured new victim s durin g the fourteenth

and fifteenth centuri es The contagion pe n etrated even into
.

the m ountains of Scandinavi a The first place in which it .

burs t out w as the district Of Elfl d ale In 1 55 9 it appeared .

,

at Mohra and in the surro undin g lands The inhabitants .

w ho m it d id not touch entreated the government to ha v e

recourse to pro mpt and vigorous m easures for it s eradi ca tion .

Accordingly a com mission wa s sent c o m posed o fec c lesiastics ,

and lay m en t o m ake inquiries and take the necessary steps

, .

It was as c ertained t hat in the to w n of Mohra alone there were

27 4: R OMA N IS T DE S C R IP TION S OF S A TA N IC DE VA S TATION S .

seventy female magicians had c ommunicated the charm

,
wh o
o r d e m o n iac al im r e n ati o n t o three hundred little children
p g
'
.

Thirty eight o fthe adul ts were bur n t 5 thirty six o fth e chil
- -

dre n underwe n t whipping and twenty others were condemne d ,

to d o penance in public TO these great and general troubles

.

the armin g o fthe L utheran R eformers added calamities still

g re a ter R eform .was an idea which floated in the atmosphere
a n d was breathed in with the air 5 a word w h ich was o n all

lips n o w with b ad intention n o w with good R efor m w hat ?

, , .

To reform the Ch u rch in its head and me m bers t o u s e the ’

customary phras e; that is the entir e world from the pope , ,

down to the S hoeblack Certainly i t was a great u n d er t ak

.

ing and the more difficult because every o n e wished to be a

,

reformer while n o t o n e was willing to b e reformed All refor m

, .

in thi s respect was is an d will be i m possible 5 the least

, , ,

refor m would annihilate the Church from the moment whe n

it is reformable in a single point it is no longer a divine ,

dogma but a human Opinio n and then it is no longer Chris

, ,

t ia n i t y Whether proud reason wills it o r not the least

.
,

breach made in the dog m a o fthe Church brings the entire

fabric to the ground To reform morals ? There was need .

but this is exactly W hat each o n e demanded for others A .

Secondary question that Of the abus e o findulgences raised by

, ,

the disappointed ambition o fa monk wh o had n o t been c o m

missioned to announc e the n e w privileges made the mine ex ,

p l ode All
. the R eformers enemies t o each o ther as much as ,

t o the Church whom they wanted to reform each according

, ,

to his o wn p oint o f V ie w united nevertheless in a c ommo n ,

negati ve w hich they expressed by a single wor d that o fPr o

, ,

t e s t an t s Protesting from different considerations they all

.
,

protested against the Catholic Church F o r three hu ndred .

a n d fif t y years Protestantism has remained what it was at the

‘

first a thousand o r a mill ion negations t o the capital unity

,

o fChristendom It is n o t fo r us to write the hist o ry o fPro

.

t es t an t is m E no u gh t o have notified its bir th a n d t o re call

.
,

the torrents Of blood it has she d What ruins has it heaped .

 ‘

27 6 P R OD U C ED BY P R OTE S TA N TIS M .

j udge s superseded and surpassed the Inquisition H ecat o mbs .

o fhuman victims were immolated .

The Anabaptists appeared at the same time as the Pro

t es t an t s and added truly Satan i cal disorders to others
,
If the .

origin o fthis sect is obscure it is because its cradle is in the ,

forests and t he caves where the L oll ards and other Satani cal
socie t ies concealed their m ysteries True i mps o fS atan carried .
,

away with t h e de m oniacal impregnation they lost all reason , ,

all sense all shame all modesty Troops o f them were seen
, ,
.

t o revel in the m ost di sgrace f ul nudity ; vill ages to practise ,

as necessary t o salvation bestial promiscuousness 5 entire bodies ,

t o mix h u man blo od with thei r drink in order to excite each ,

other by a common effort t o the exter m ination of all who did

not think as they thought E xtermination liberty t o say .
,

anything and t o d o anything a c ommunity o fgo ods and o f ,

,
—
persons and heaven for reward such was their faith their ,

mor al ity their obj ect ,

Much more o fthe same kind I might cite from the same
Papal sources I have made use o f these authorities with a
.

serious purpose Thro u ghout what precedes I have had it in

.

view to exhibit my rise growth and m aturity in order that , ,

y o u might ha v e before your eyes indubitable evidenc e that I

am a power rather than a person With this Catho lic tes .

t im o n y I consider the chain o f proof complete A p ower I .

undo ubtedly am Possessing as I d o control over the r ul ers

.

o f hell and the rulers o f earth I possess universal do m inion ,

belo w and very seriously c ontrol the venerable p otentates and

,

pr i nc ipalities o n high .

HE RE I S TA ND A ND RU L E S U PRE M E sovereign over the ,

maj ority o fhuman beings and sharer wit h the Church in deter ,

mining the fate o fmillions o n mil lions o fhuman beings year

*
after year .

Th e re p uls i v e pi t c ur e gi v en in t h e t e xt of t he su p re ma c y of S at an

f ro m R o m a n i st s o ur c e s is s ur p d by
a ss e wh i h t h on e c e r ea d er m ay fin d in
B urt o n ’
s
“
A n at o my ofM elan c h lyo d i p ti l
, an n ar c u ar , Par t i . s ec . ii . s eq .

B ur t on ,
3 . l ym
c er g an of t he C h u h f E gl d ( b
rc o n an or n in 1 5 7 6, di d e in
 S ATA N S U P RE M E . 277

I a m m on a r c h o fa ll I s urv e y .

The elevation m akes me giddy and already in looking for

,

ward I feel the pillar on which I stand sinking under my

w e igh t .

gi v es t he P r o p m y it xi t d i hi
t es t a n t v i ew of S at an
’
s su re ac as e s e n s

o w t imn d w e an d t h t ibly d p h d w fm bid C l i

as s een u n er e err ee s a o s o or a v n

i m
s Yt i
. m h
e ,
h t n ast hi th m h i t i lly h p
uc as e t r ea s s e es s or ca ,
e r es en s a

pi tc ur e f bj t i o al iti
su d th t p i t
ec ve re i h ibl t m k
e s, an a c ur e s so or r e as o a e

t h i t lli g
e n tm d
e d h t p t iti i it w t f m m ly
en o e rn r ea er a e su er s on n s or s or ,
na e ,

t h d i b l i l with t h i t
e a o ca ,
t h t d d t e 3 nhi w m
e n s es i a re ,
an o r e 0 1 ce i n s o n e an e

p tai w it h
on j y u p k “
bl e o ns ea a .
”
 S A TA N IS M M UL TIP L IED .

BOOK V II .

I
P E R OD OF D E C OM P OS I TI ON : D E BA S E M E N T : DE C L I NE .

C HAPTER I .

MY T R A N S F O R M A TI O N S .

S E A TED o n the throne o funiversal empire and looking bac k ,

on m past and my future I at this point fmy narrative am

y , o

led to ask after m y own identity with a little special care Am .

I from the first to the last o n e and the sa m e ? The answer I

receive from my survey is an emphatic N o Yet accordin g ,

to the ecclesiastical au thorities ever sin c e I fell I have been

—
,

what I am and what I shall always re m ain the chief o fthe ,

fallen angels known by the nam e o fSatan My clerical his

, .

t o r ian s have not only put me togeth er as the printer sets hi s

letters but they have stereotyp ed me Moreover th ey have
, .
,

spread copies o f the plates everyw here In c onsequence my .

,

features and m y attributes are as well kn own as those o f

the greatest earthly potentates I am thus n o t merely imper
.

s o n at e d but individualized W h o under these circumstances

.

can doubt my existence ? If any sceptic sho ul d be s o bold ,

is not my likeness there to p u t him t o shame ? An d where

may n o t my likeness be found when every successive Sun
,

day I am held up to vie w in pulpits in all parts o fChristen

dom ? Here is my port rait as painted in the seventeenth
c entury by the hand o f R eginald S cott : O ur mothers ’

—
m ayd s t errifi e us with the ouglie devel with ho m es o n his
head fi er in his mouth a huge t ayle in his bree c h e ie s lik e
, , ,
280 M E TAM OR PH O S E S or S A TA N .

already ascribed t o Go d the Creator When art was called .

on f o r aid where with t o impress religious c onceptions o n the

p op ul ar mind a triune Satan as shewn in the F r o n t is p ie c e

, , ,

was pic tured and presented to the votari es o f the Christian

.

Chur ch C onceived as the antithe s is o f the tri u n e Go d I

.
,

thus became the triune S atan As a contrasted im age o ft h e .

Trinity I appear possessed o fthree heads at the centre o fthe

,

ear th not in D ante alone but in various m iniatures existin g

, ,

in Miss als and other m anuals o fCatholic d evotion In agree .

ment with the speculation that all lofty Obj ects must find
their o pposite in me I represent the vi c es drawn up in ten
,

categories so as t o s t an d over against the ten co m mand m ents

,
.

This c onception produced at the t ime o f the R eformation a

n e w creation o fdevils correspon di ng t o the new forms o fvice

that arose in those days and the ludicrous shapes it beca m e ,

fa shionable t o ascribe t o me Hence ca m e the drunken devil .

,

t h e gluttonous devil the cour t devil the school devil the

, , ,

r acing devil the gambling

,
devil the cursing devil the pan , ,

talo on devil .

Scarcely o n e o fthese popular creations is yet deceased and ,

the cursing devil has been lately placed in Saint Peter s Chair
’

“
In Peters burg the gold devil is a title uncere m oniously
,

ascribed to me as a personificatio n of the intense greed o fthe

,

R ussian bureau c racy Acc ording t o an o ld legend I divided

.
,

o fthe R oma n
”
m y seven daughters ( the seven deadly sins
“

C h urc h ) a m ong the seven classes o f men 5 only harl o try r e

’‘
t

mained and in c onsequen c e that became universal

,
.

A s t ep in the sa m e direction had been set in another part

o f the world When Christianity ca m e t o be planted among
.

the Teutonic nations whose genial nature unfitted them for ,

the fierc e and morose de m onology produced by religious ear

n e s t n e s s o n O riental spe c u lations it still produced an e f fect ,

in the direction o fdiabolis m and that in importing into its ,

m ythology with due changes the whole paga n conception o f

, ,

S ee L eg e d e s d es S e p t P é ch é s C ap it aux pa J C ll i d e P l an c y
n ,
r . o n ,

M o n s eig n eu r Z Ar chev egu e d e P a r is

’
we
’

o ut r a g e a
pp r o z p a r .
 28 1
’
S ATAN s s r o us rz .

Hel This German goddess who is pictured in the F r o n t is

.
,

piece and who m I m ay call m y spouse c orresponding to the

, ,

Greek Pe rs o ph o n é as ruling in the heavens w as at fir st a

, ,

light divinity o r the moon This side o f her nature is indi

,
.

c a te d by her name which signifies t o shine She also spent

,
.

nearly o n e half of her ti m e under the shades o fnight and so

-

was queen Of the kingdo m o fdarkness Here was a dualism .

w hi c h though it had none o f the formidable absoluteness

,

w hich att ac hed to m e in the Christian Chur c h furnished a ,

ger m o ut o fwhi c h grew a two fold natu re o n my behalf And -

.

this qualified darkness o f external form denoting a s imilar ,

partitio n o fgood and evil in my m oral n ature w ell suited the ,

less beclouded characte ristics o fthe Teutoni c races O riginall y .

the goddess Hel fell into a de m on and gave name to the realm
o fdarkness ( Hel h eim ) with in cours e of time an additional , , ,

l etter appearing in o u r Hell

,
But here too t h e ori ginal .
, ,

m odifyin g power rem ained The Hell of the German trib es .

,

though gloo m y had its light side and so differed fro m the
, ,

ecclesiastical
du g n e on h or r i bl e, o n all s i d es r o u n d ,

As on e g tfrea fl m d 5 y t f m th
ur n a c e m a e e ro os e fl a es

N0 light b t th d k
,
u ra i ibl er ar n es s v s e

Ser v e d l y t di on i gh t
o fw s cov er s s o oe ,

R gi
e f
on s o w d l ful h d
s orr o wh, p o e s a es , er e ea ce

A d
n t
r es d w ll h p
can n ev e r cm e O e n ev e r o es ,

Th t a m t
co ll ; b t t t
es o a wit h ut d u or ur e o en

S till gur d es ,fi y d l g fd
an a er e u e, e

With b i g lphu u
e er
v -
ur n n m d 5 su r n c on s u e

S u h pl
c t l j ti h d p p d
a c e e ern a us ce a re ar e

For th b lli ; h r t h i p i
es e r e e o us di d e e e r r so n or a ne

In u tt d k
er 5 ard t h i p ti
n e ss t an e r or on s e

A f
s m
ar r e d f m G d d light fh
ov e ro o an o eav en

A f m th
s ro t th i t t h t m t p l
e cen r e r ce o e u os o e .

How different an idea o fGo d had John Milton when he ,

drew that horrible picture t o what w as entertained of the ,

universal F ather by the Holy and L oving O ne who spake the

282 S A TA N as M UL TIFOR M AS M EN .

parable o f the Prodigal Son a n d forgave the wo m an heavy ,

la d en w ith sin s b ecause she loved much ! N o w o nder that

religious com munities which have s o far departed from the
Go d o fits F o u n d er should also have gone s o far in the d ark
,

and vengeful passions as t o lay aside the less o fl en s iv e vie w

o ftheir Teuton i c progenit ors and p aint m e as sombre as their ,

o wn priest ridden natures

-
.

However this extravagance does but aid t o confute their

,

v iew by taking m reve n ge in returning good for evil ; f

y o r

the facts I have now been led to set forth g o t o reli eve the m ,

together with mortals generally from that nightmare o f fear ,

o f the devil under w hich they have all their lifet im e been

igno m iniously kept ( Heb ii In what light do those facts

. .

pla c e me ? Am I n o t in every case an image and reflection

o fthe m inds o f those in the mids t o f whom I arise a n d by ,

whom I am owned o r worshiped ? Blac k as charcoal t o monk s

and mi s guided Protestants I am at any rate half light among ,

the northern tribes and my domain instead o f bein g a fur

, ,

n ace o f fire is more chill y than would be a greeable t o such

,

as find a good fire a luxury It became the hell w here the

.

o l d man hews woo d f o r the Christ m as fire and where the ,

devil in his eag erness t o buy the fl it ch o fbacon yields up

, ,

the ma rvellous quern (mill ) which is good to grind almost any

thing . It w a s not s o pleasant indeed as heaven o r the o l d
’

, ,

Valhalla ; but it was better to be there than t o b e shut o ut in the

o uter c old b eyond its pa dl ocked gates But more particularly .

the devil was a being who under a pressure o fhunger m ight

be drawn into acti ng again st his o wn interest 5 in other words ,

he m ight be out witted 5 and this character o fa poor o r st upid

devil is almost the only o n e exhi bi t ed in Teutonic legends .

In fact as Professor Max Muller remarks the Germans when

, , ,

they had been indoctrinated with the ideal o fa real de v il ,

the Sh em itic S atan o r D iabolos treated him in a most good ,

h umoured manner : n o r is it easy to resist D r D a s e n t s c o n

’
.

elusion that n o greater proof can be given o fthe small hold

,
284 : THE L IM P IN G S A TA N .

femal e form as V ala n d in n e But to the Ger mans the fall of .

the devil fro m heaven suggested the idea that like Hephaistos ,

( V ul c an
) he m ,
ust have been la m ed by the descent and hence ,

w e have t h e li mping de v il o r devil up on t wo s t i c ks wh o

’

, ,

repre s ents the lim ping Hephaistos n o t only in his gait but in
his office L ike h im the V al ant is a s m ith and the n ame
.
, , ,

w hich has assu m ed elsewhere the forms F aland Ph al an d , ,

F oland V allan d passes into t h e E nglish form Wayland and

, , ,

g ives us the Wayland s m ith w ho m Tresilian confronts in

S cott s novel o f K enil wo rth L ike the robb ers who steal
’
.

Indra s cattle he is also the dark m urky o r black being the

’

, , ,

G ra um an n or Greyman o f German fol k lore This blac k -

.

d e m on is the Slavoni c Ts c h e rn e bo g ( Z er n ebo g as in the F ron ,

t is p ie c e ) w h o is represented as the enemy o fBj elbo g the whi t e ,

god —
,
a dualis m which Gri mm regards as o f late growth .

L ike th e F auns and other m ythical beings o fGreek and L atin

m ythology he has a b ody which is either wholly o r in part
,

that o fa b east S ome time he leaves behind him the print

.

o fa horse s ho of and the E nglish d emon Graz t another form

’

, ,

probably o f Gr e u d el shewed itself in t h e form o f a devil

, .

The devil of the wit c hes was a black buck ( compare b og ,

b ogy Bug Puck ) o r goat 5 that o fthe F athers o f the Chris

, ,

tian Church was a d evouring w olf Like Ahi again and .

, ,

P ython and E chidna he is n o t only the o l d serpent o r dragon

, , ,

but the hell worm and the walfis h o r leviathan ( a name in

-

w hich we see again the Vala o r deceiver) L ike Baalzebub he .

,

assumes the form of a fly as Ps ych e may denote either a good ,

o r an evil spirit As the hammer which crushes t he world

.

and inflicts the penalty o fS in o n the sinner he plays the par t ,

o fAl o ad ai and Th o r Mi o lnir

''
As the guardian o fthe under .

w orld he 1 S the hell ward and the hell S hepherd o r host The -
.

sa m e pro c ess which converted the kindly Holda into the ma

lignant U n h o ld a attributed to the devil occupations borrowed
,

fro m those o fthe Teutonic O din and the Greek O rion ”

.

“
L ord o f the dead I am the ruler o f D eadman s Land ,
” ’
.

D eutsch e Myth ol ogy 9 3 6 ,

.
 —
S A TA N V A R I C OLOURED .

Similar is the office I sustain in Brazil under the n a m e o f

Aygn an the evil divinity and in Mexico as M ict l an t e u cli in
, ,

the shades belo w N o w I am t h e Sam oan divinity S av ea sinl eo

.
,

ruler Of the subterran ean Bulotu w ith a tail that stretches ,

far a way into the sea in the S hape Of an eel or a serpent ,

-
.

The Sa m oyeds have c ontracted m y na m e to the singl e vowel

A and gi v en m e a dw ell i n g i n i m penetrable darkness when c e
, ,

I send disease and death to m e n and reindeer ? ‘ You thu s 4

see dear secretary that I am of the co m posite order L ike

, ,
.

a Mosai c I am m ade up of vari coloured bits and scraps bo r

,
-

rowed from all s orts of men all m anners of fan cies all tim es , ,

and all ages Scarcely is there a feature in m y cha racter or

.
,

a hue on m y countenan ce but has its corresp ondent in so m e ,

ancient o r m odern myth Gen er all v coloured bla ck I a m .

,

so m etim es so painted that the bl ac k is penetrated by a s c arlet

glow to represent the fir e i n w h i c h I dwell and the bloo d I
,

a m said t o S hed 5 w hile in China I appear in white pure as ,

a bride s attire 5 in the witch trials of the mid dl e ages I a m

’
-

described as green in allusion to my familia rity w ith th e ,

vegetable world in t h e S hap e of elves satyrs &c t As with , ,

.

my p erson so with m y history,

.

AS m y lameness has its original in the injury suffered by

Vul can w hen hurled down fro m O ly mpus by J upiter his ,

o ffe n ded father so in the same fable is my o wn fall fore

,

shadowed as well as in the overthrow o f the a m bitious

,

Titans who conspired in orde r to scale t h e ramparts of

heaven In the Ap ocalypse (x x
. I am b ound by an angel .

sent expressly for the purp ose from heaven Th e event is .

alrea d y familiar to every gra m m ar school boy w h o h as read -

the Pr o metheus V i n eta s of the Greek dra m atic p o et E s c hyln s ,

written so m e four centuries before the bo O k of R evelation .

N or are o ur fates altogether unlik e My bondage arose fro m .

the displeasure of E lo him his fro m the j ealousy of Jupiter ,

.

I am S hut up for a thousand yea rs (though by the wa y for , ,

Tyl or
’
s it C ult u II 2 8 0
P r i m iv e r e, . .

C ox s ’ “
Myt h o l ogy o ft h e A y N a t i o r an n s,
”
11 3 6 2 ,
. se q .
286 S A TA N S D E GR A D ATION
’
.

t he l ast e ighteen ce n t uries I h av e travelled at will all over

the earth my enemies being the j udges ) i n a huge subterra
,

nean dungeon ; he was rivetted t o Mount C au casus A bird .

o fp rey feasted o n his vital s 5 mine are consumed in vexa t io n

and wo e As if t o S hew b eyond a doubt h o w full y I share

.

hu m an p o ssibilities the penalty inflicted o n Abelard by Canon

,

F ulbert was if the Talmudic legend may be believed in

, ,

fl ic t e d o n me by Jehovah w hen I su f ered castration a t his

f
hands As t o o Ahriman the evil principle o f Parsis m is
.
, , , ,

banished t o the barren steppes o fTuran s o I u nder the name , ,

e devil o f the ancient E gyptians

of T h ( t h ) h ave my
‘

yp o n ,

dwelling place n o t in the ecclesiastical hell but in the burn

-
, ,

ing and thirsty desert E ven the indignities put upon m e .

rec all and attest my human c ondition W h at am I but a .

S lave — a slave worse treated than any African n egr o ? D is

charged from the serv ice o f God , I am degraded in being
made a slave t o men whom ac cording to the ecclesiastical
, ,

delusion I w ait o n with hypocritical subj ection fawning and

, ,

flattery in order t o entrap them by my wiles

,
.

Among the liberties taken with me is this that my feature s ,

are mad e obj ects o fridicule Here the E gyptian antiquities .

afforded a m o st richly furnished treasury Heads o fvarious-

.

animals b orrowe d thence were put o n my shoulders i n order ,

in part t o make me ludicrous in part t o symb oliz e qualities ,

a scribed t o me either by the mo n ks o r the populace Be fore .

all other members my nose supplied an obj ect f

,
o r humour bad ,

and goo d t o co m ic writers o f various sorts In h o w many

,
.

legends and popular tales am I insulted in being taken by the

nose ! I give as a n instance a concise report o fthat which
is entitled S a in t D un s ta n a n d the D evi l rat h er because it ,

serves t o shew h o w events arising o ut o fundu e ex c item e nt in

hu m an bein gs were fathered o n me .

Saint D unstan was in his way a great man He was born .

in the isle o fGlastonbury in the early part o f the tenth cen

tury Under i m pressions fostered if n o t in a measure pro
.
,

d u c e d by this sacred spo t where history and fable combined

, ,
288 S A TA N S H O ED .

an anchorite But it was a fearful confli c t With his sen

. .

s it i v e nature he c ould not help re cu rring to the loss he had

,

suffered Me m ory b rought up all her virtues and attra c tions

. .

He felt c ondemned and i m posed o n hi m self severest penan c es

,
.

He prayed he faste d he w rought in his s m ithy Yet every

, ,
.

night he was beset as the legend runs by me the reality being

, , ,

that he w as overcome by his p assions Yielding to the con .

c e it s and fantasies in w hi c h he had been brought up he ,

thought he was visited by Sat an now in the orthodox for m ,

o fa goat now a w olf and n o w a serpent

,
These unwel c o m e
,
.

visitors he managed to keep at bay and i n this victory he ,

.

was grea tly aided by his manual labour O ne night ho w ever .

, ,

w hen he w a s st ill working at his forge he s aw before h im a ,

young w oman unclothed an d b ear ing the features o fhis lady ,

love C o n tra ry to her wont as much as to her n ature S h e t ried

.
,

to t o y wi t h him Then h e kne w that it w as n o t S h e but I

.
, .

Whereupon he seized his red hot tongs and tweaked m e by -

the nose so fiercely that I ran off with the ut m ost S peed Such
,
.
,

at least is the report he made w hen n ex t d ay he was ques

,
'

t io n e d as to the horrible screaming and ho wl ing that had

awakened his neighbours in the dead o fthe night .

Another version of the revenge the Saint to ok adds t o my

history another m eta m orphosis The fable runs that hearing .
,

D unstan play o n the harp in his cell I set up a terrific howl ,

ing and began to chaff the holy musician E ven saints are
,
.

n o t perfe c t and losing his temper he res olve d to S hoe m y

, , ,

h oof as if I w ere a horse L ittle suspecting what im pended I .

,

sauntered next m ornin g into his s m ithy and good naturedly ,

-

wished him su c cess in his sooty e m ploym ent I have had .

enough o fyour i m pudence said he R ushing unexpecte dl y ,

”
.

o n m e he seized me by m y leg and applied the S hoe burnin g

,

hot to my right foot .

Th e S ai t o p it y ha d o N i ck
n n n ,

But d o e l o g ail r i gh t t h ough t h e qu i ck 5

v n n s r r

L ou d er sh r e a k e d he, an d f as t er .

D un can b itt g i
c ar e d n ot ; h i s er r n,

With ut mi t k h w d F th
o s a e, s e e a er S in
H h d f ed thl m ta oun a ru e ss as er .
 T HE EFF IC ACY OF T HE H OR S E S H OE -
.

An d h av in gd r iv en , l
c en c hd e an d fil d e ,

The S ai n t d hi w k r e v ie w e s or ,
an d m il d s e

With u l t i f t i 5 cr e sa s ac on

A d j i g id
n P y
e er n y g sa ,
“
ra ,
er e ou o,

D m d Ji m C
‘ ’
m th p
an c e t e e a s s en na e ro w ,

Wit h y m t g f l ti
o ur os r a ce u ac on .
”

To t ll h w He y ll d d i d
o o rn e y e e an cr e ,

A d ll t h
n a tf l t i k h t i d e ar u r c s e r e ,

T hi t ibul t i
o e ase s r a on s ,

W uld m
o th fill bigg b kor e an a er oo

Th th
a n e v er a u d t k o r un e r oo ,

Si t h b k fL m t t i
n ce e oo o a en a on s .

What continues the legend d id not I o f

,
fer Saint D unstan ,

wo ul d he only set me free Sternly refusing all he exa c ted ,

from m e as the sole term s he w o u ld acc ep t my s ignature to

, ,

t he follo w i n g bond

To all d f lk i C h i t d m t wh m t hi i t m t h ll m
go o o n r s en o o o s n s ru en s a co e,

t h D ile d th g ti g K w ye t h t f him lf d h i
ev se n e r ee n : no a or se an e rs

sa i d D il t dd l
ev th t t m
c ov e n a n i g s an e c ar es , a n ev er a o rn n or e v en n

p y ra t h p l h h m ti g
er s , a c wh a d fw t
e ,
c ur c or ee n ,
n e v er er e c o n c or s o s ee

s o un d d ,
i l fl w d h m yi w d
s acr e wh
o r soc a , o ar ou n , or ar on s ooe ,
n or er e

th H e h m t hi i gh t
o rs e - sl d by d y
oe igh t ee s s S ,
on an or s ea , a or n , on

l wly ill
o l ft y p i l
S b w p it h lm m t b m
or o n n a c e, on o s r , e , as ,
oo or

p i l i d D il wi ll i t ud
n n ac e , s a ev n r e .

Th e h or s e - s h o e n ow s av es k e el an d r oo f
F r om vi si s o f t th i s r o v er s
’
h f oo ,

The em bl em s e en p r e v en ti g n .

He r ecks t he b d on , but m or e t h e p ain ,

Th e n ai s l w en t t t h e gr ain
s o a a in s g ,

Th e ras p w as S O t o me ti g r n n .
*

Which is true t h e t w eaked nos e o r the S hoed hoof ? ,

d id you ask my p u pil ? I thought you had heard e n ough to

,

decide w ithout m y aid that the one is as true as the other

, ,

o r indeed any part o fm y allege d personal history .

There is no virtue rarer on this earth of yours than i m par

g d ft h H
Th e L e en o e or s e s -
h oe ; t h e Tr u e Le g d en of S ain t D un s t a n
and t h D i l ; h wi g h w
e ev s e n o t he H or s e -
S h oe ca m e t o be a C h arm a g a i n st

W it h ft
c cr a Th i d diti.
”
r e on . L on d on B ell an d Dald y .
290 S ATA N S L INE A GE V E R Y A N C IEN T
’
.

t ialit y An Old proverb says Give t h e devil his due

. In
,
.

my multiform reading o fbooks and manuscripts I have looked

”
fo r somethi n g like my due In vain T h ey ar e e ccl esi
. .

a s t i c al pens f o r t h e most part that h a ve described me and ,

they are dippe d in n othing but gall L ately however I came .

, ,

o n an exception It is fro m the p en o fa humorous layman 5

.

but it is t o o a ccep t able t o me n o t t o be pu t befor e your eye s

“
an d here wher e I am S peaking o f my Transformations
, ,

is the right plac e fo r it does truly S hew a new phas e o fmy

,

character
“
Vario u s b ey o nd all conception o r computation have been
t h e c onj ectures e ntert a in ed and the opinions promulgated by
different n ations and dif ferent men o f every nation and tribe ,

respecting the n ature and character o fthe d e v il ; and it is

a singular fact tha t in those countries and places where his

dominion is kn own t o be particularly established and himself

worshiped he is m ore frequ ently and exte n sively m isre pre
,

s ented This d oubtless proceeds from his having occasion t o

.

vary the shapes he is in the habi t o f assuming as well as the ,

mode o fhis proceeding fo r the general purposes o fhis go v ern ,

m ent oftener in prop ortion t o the degree o fcivilization and

,

r efinemen t at which his subj ects m ay hav e arrive d and the ,

c onsequent increased deman d upon his attentio n and subtlety .

D etection o r a knowledge o f his true nature being rendered

more difficult by being more dependent upon his actions tha n
,

any particular for m he might appear in his ch aracter is ,

c onstantly bei n g vilified and misrepresented by a host o f

devils incarnate ( o r sublunary devils ) wh o are in the habi t o f ,

‘
laying t o t h e account o f O ur Hero every atroci t y o f thei r
’

o wn ,
and passing themselves o ffas saints among t h e better
c lass o fGod s cre atures
’
.

S o many wild and fanciful stories have indeed been told

o fhim and people have f
,
igured him in their imaginations I n
S O many horrible an d m o nstrous S hapes tha t t h e devil him ,

self might reasona bly be frightened at his o wn d eformities .

Hap pily ho weve r he has a t all times h ad a few friends par

, , ,
292 S ATA N N OT —
A PERs ON TE E V ERD IC T OF ART .

—
L ucifer son Ofthe morning The day star
,

The grea red dragon

t — Accuser o f the brethren — The
tempter
—
The serpent I The scorpio n
The foul S piri t —The unclean spirit The lying spirit -

Satan Mammon -

Ab addon
L egion
And am ong his m ore modern titles are the following some ,

of whi ch are c o m plim entary others s c ar c ely so ,

The O ld Gentle m an !
O ld Go oseberry O ld N i ck — O ld Bogy
— —
O ld Harry The o l d F ello w The o ld O ne
”
The Gentle m an in Black I
In conclusion I re m ark that one epithet o f which I am ,

proud and which I desire to make pro m inen t as obscurely

, ,

denoting m y hu m an orig in was not so long ago prevalent in ,

“
Sc o t land and still lingers in the phrase
,
The Goodman s ,
’

Croft being the c orner o fa field left untilled expressly for

,
”

m y advantage ! This is o n e o fthe very fe w civilities I have

.

received .

CHAPTER II .

AM I A P ER S ON OR AM I A P O W ER —
THE V ERD I C T OF ART .

YOU have already seen that I the product o f ma n s am

’

im agination excited and c ontrolled by external nat ure I .

intend at this point to expand that fact a little with a vie w to ,

expose the groun dl ess fiction of my b eing a person In so .

doing I make a specific appeal to a n cient and modern Art in

,

F r om t he I n t ro d ti
uc on to Th e R eal D ev il s Wal k
’
.

Tyl or
’
s t
P r imi iv e C ultur e , II . 3 70 .
 THE A N IM IS M or N A TU RE IN C LUD ES S A TAN .
0

its statues i mages picture s and e mble m s as they are scattered

, , ,

up an d do w n in m u s eu m s galleries ruins and as represented

, , ,

to the eye i n the ri c h and varied literature o fI c onograph y .

It is a wide S u bj ect I can find roo m for only a fe w sentence s

. .

An d I place the m here b ecau s e they supply a d e cisive proof

of both m y non personality and my decline
-
.

The m aj estic specta c le of nature 5 the d azzling lustre of the

s u n 5 the m yriads o f stars w hi c h move and sparkle in the

i mm ensity o f sp ace 5 the m anifest and invariable regularity

o ftheir revolutions 5 the influen c e they exercise o n t h e seasons

o fthe year o n the life and g r o w th of ani m als and vegetables 5

,

the nu mberless properties of t he ele m ents ; the mysteries of

the senses o ft h e passions o fthought me m ory i m agina t ion 5
, , , ,

o fdreams and visions 5 the m arv ello u s pheno m ena conn e c t ed

w ith generation — the great w ho l e must have stru c k pri maev a l
races with w onder and ad m iration leading to t h e belief that ,

the w orld w as full of ani m ated existen c es so m e w ay resem bling ,

but far surpassin g the m sel ves This bright side

,
'
of nature
.

had its dark side The t wo in co m binat i on produced t h e

.

”
lords m any and gods m any of the ancient w orld in cluding ,

m yself ,
“
the princ e of darkness O ver this c elestial and .
”

d iabolic hierar c hy there w ere thrones do m inions prin ci , ,

ali t i e s and po w ers T h ese w ere the parti cular obj ec t s which
p .
,

fro m their m agnitude and b rilliancy m ost stru c k the m inds of ,

m en . The sun that radiant and ever burni n g m ass o flight

,
-

all but intolerable to man s eyes with its fecundating ac t ion

’

o n all that vegetates and breathes o n the surfa c e of the earth ,

ruling in t h e heavens without peer o r rival re c eived the ,

earliest ho m age as the king

“ “ ”
the king of day the supre m e
, ,

m onar c h o fheaven and earth The recogn ition at first w as as

.

o fa real living being 5 w ha t we ter m a person N ext but at .

,

a great distan c e stands the m oon in so m e m ysterious w a y

, ,

dependent on the sun ; inferior in m agni tude and in sple n

do ur yet not without a soft brill iancy and a fostering i n fl u
,

“
ence What is this but t he queen of heaven an d as su c h
.
,

the spouse of t he sun ? Bending his knee to the s e d ivinitie s ,

294 A RE THE SI G NS OF THE ZOD IAC P ERS ON S ?

m an soon learnt to worship as members o fthe divine family , ,

the wandering s tars the fixed stars especially t h e constella

, ,

tions In them we possess a perm anent pro of that the astral

.

bodies were all regarded and adored as intelligent beings The .

v ery n ame Z odiac denotes some thi n g that lives I transcrib e .

its twelve signs together with the figures o r emblem s by which

,

they ar e denoted
l . Ar i es Y the R am denotes the month o fMarch whe n
C )
, , ,

as the phrase is the sun enters this S ign , .

2 . Ta ur us 8 the Bull denotes the month o fApril , .

3 . Gemin i n the Twins c orresp on di ng with May

, , .

4 . C a n cer QB the Crab with June, , .

5 . L eo 5L t h e Lion with July

, , .

6 . V i rg o Tm the Virgin with August

, , .

7 . L ibr a é the Balance with Septemb e r

, , .

8 . S co rp i o m the Scorpion with O ctob er

, ,
.

9 . S a g i tt a r i us 1 the Archer with N ovembe r ,

.

10 . C ap r i cor n us t y the Goat with D ecember r

, , .

11 . Aq ua r i us x the Water bearer with January

,
-

,
.

12 . P is ces X the F ishes c orresponding with F eb r uary

, , .

These names were severally gi ven in ob edience to som e

assumed quality o r function o fthe heave nl y body o r rathe r ,

divinity in each case Thus the Water bearer into which

,
.
-

the sun enters in January refers t o the heavy rains o fwinter 5 ,

—
the Ar cher half man and half horse armed with a bo w in di
,
-

, ,

cates the hunting season 5 while the Balance signifies the equal
length o f day and night as though th ey had b een weighed ,

and adjusted R ese m blance t o o is the groun d o fthe figured

.

S igns as well as the na m es Thus the Ra m is symbolized .

under a pair o fram s horns and the Bull under a b ul l s head

’

,
’

and horns The same law o fresemblance prevails throughout

.

b o t h the lettered acc ounts and the figured representatives o f

the divinities o f p olytheis m in general To yo u the resem .

blance m ay appear imperfect and faint Yo u m us t bear in .

m ind that yo u live in a different age and in a di f

ferent cli mate .
296 L IKE J U P ITER ,
H RIMA N
A ,
T HE S E RP EN T
.

tians he was worshiped un d er t h e name o fApis 5 a n d t o pre

vent his bein g taken fo r a vulgar and perishable animal he ,

w ore o n his hide several supernatural e m ble m s 5 o n his tongue ,

t he like n e s s o fa s ca r a be u s o r sacred bee t le 5 o n his back t ha t

°

o f an eagle ; o n h is shoulders the crescen t m o o n 5 o n t h e ,

rest o f his body divers tokens o f the generative faculty 5 i n

,

all twen t y n ine c haracters o r symbolical attributes a n u m ber

-

equal t o the d ays o fthe m oon o r Isis in the for m o fa c o w to , ,

which the Bull was united and consecrated The Lion say s .
,

Eth an co n tains in hi mself an ab u n d ance o ff

,
iery m atter whi c h
caused t h e Egyptians t o consecrate him t o V ulcan the g o d o f ,

f i re 5 th ey also placed him in the skies that he migh t be t he ,

abode o fth e sun and the S ign at which tha t luminary arrive s
,

in the great heats o f s u mmer The L ion often figures i n .

t he sacred legen d s o f antiquity Hercules kills the Ne m e a n .

lion It is a lion tha t Cybe le co m m its t o the guardianship o f

.

the faithless Atys In E gypt th e lion was specially honoured

.
, ,

because the N ile o v e r fl o we d at the epo ch when the chario t

o fthe sun to uc hes the S ign a propriated t o t hat symbolical
p
a ni m al . My S ign o r Ophiac us the Serpen t o r Scorpion hold s
, , ,

a high position a m ong the c onstellations The celes t ial Ser .

pen t comes to the horizon a t the ti m e when the s un reache s

the Balan c e that is in au t umn At this m o m ent the Pe rsia n
,
.

m agi f ixe d the beginni n g o f th e reign o fAhrim an o r o fd ark ,

ness and cold the introduction o fe v il in to the uni v erse Ac

,
.

c o r d in g l
y the Serpent represented the Persian Ahri m an the ,

Egyp t ian Typ ho n the Greek Pluto the Scandina vian L oki
’

, , ,

a n d in due c ourse the E nglish D evil As those have vanis hed .

into thin air so will this The serpen t accomp anies fEs cu lap ius
,
.

”
a t the m o m ent o fhis d esce n t into hell Typhon and Plut o .

a ssu m e the for m o fa serpent Vishnu a member o ft h e Hindo o .

,

t rinity appears i n paintings and sculptures lying o n the ser

,

pen t Ad iss e c he n The ser pent is an obj ect o fprofound vene

.

ration in Indi a in Japan i n China He was wors hiped by

, ,
.

the E gyp t ians t he Phe n i c ians t he Greeks E q ually was he

, , .

venera t e d a t R ome at L a vin ium a m on g the N or t hern natio n s

, ,
 M ED IE VA L M OR A L ITIES . 29 7

-
Prussians L ithuanians N or wegia n s Rus s Ian s He re c eived
, , ,
.

divine h onours a m ong the Mexic ans ; and he does so st ill

a m o n g the tribes of Afri c a .

There m ig ht alm ost have been an inklin g in t h e Olden ti me

o fthe truth I hav e repeate d ly asserted to the e f fe c t that as the , ,

child o fm an I have a goo d side in m e no less than a bad one

,
.

D oes not fire burn up tares and refuse p urifyi n g the land , ,

the a ir and t h e ho m e As an e m ble m o fthe igneo us prin

c i le residing in the ether the Phenicians called m e Agatho
p ,

de m on o r the good divini t y 5 and as the ser pent of Apol lo I

,

instructed the Greeks by the ora cles w hi c h I sp oke .

The na t ural tenden cy to personifi c ation t o which these fig

ments o we their origi n is exem p l ified in t h e religious plays of
‘

the m id dl e ages term ed Moralities In their s c enes not only

“

.
, ,

virtues and v ice s appear in the S hape of all egoric al figure s ,

but p e rs o n ific a t io n s of m oral qualities an d moral c onditions of

all sorts 5 also of abstra c t ideas and that in m arvel lous inter ,

mix t ure with real chara cters borro w ed fro m the sacred history .

These are placed o n the stage in order to unfold a p ortion of

Biblic al history o r to set forth and uphold positions whether o f
, ,

s cholasti c o r scriptural ethi c s in t heir applica t ion to the co n ,

”
cerns o fdail y life In The Marriage o fthe S oul w ith Jesus
.
,

the spe ctators behold i mp ersona t ions o fL ove T ru th Ill umi , ,

n ation R ighteousness and the s even deadly sins sustain parts

, ,

in union wi t h t he So ul Jesus and the D aughters o f Z ion

, .

O ther dramatic pieces exhibit hum an life in con fli c t w ith

vir t uous propos tions and vi c ious incl inations O n other o c c a .

s ion s t h e boards a r e o c c upied w ith er s o n ifi c at i o n s o fl V e alt h

p
L as civiousnes s D esire Pride Haughtiness Beauty Stre n gth :
, , , , ,

whi ch w age war on p e i s o n ifi c at i o n s of the corresponding v ir t ues ,

unt il a t las t t here enter as t h e s ole suffic ient helpers o f m e n

, ,

C onfessio n Penan c e and the Ma s s I n the sa m e way the

, .

m anners o fthe ti m es are dep icted and chastised .

And n o w c ast your eye o n the various portraits which I

ha v e had draw n of m yse lf and whi c h o ffer the m selves in ,

the F rontis piece My favourable likeness does not appea r

.
298 THE F R ON TIS P IE C E E X P L AINE D .

a m ong them The reas on is I wished t o pre s e n t the imag e

.
,

o f Christ under the advantageo u s light o f a bro a d contra s t .

The principal less on these figur es are intended t o teach is ,

tha t they a r e figures and figure s only standing fo r nothing ,

in rerum natura but s cdwh a films o f human co n ceit fancy

, , ,

and fear Yes 5 the d iabolic hierarchy with which ancient

.

ignorance and sup erstition peopled what was c alled hell h as ,

sunk in to phantasms ; nay lower into lines and curves in , ,

p rinted b ooks ; n o less than the a stral hier arc hy which had
the same parentage
S ol o r it ur , d if
fug iu n t umbr ae .

The Fr o n tis piec e o fitself su f fi ce s t o S hew th at I am n o t a

p erson but a power and a vanishing power I s ay o fitself
, , .
,

for it has a representative character It c ontai n s the pith o f .

a very lar e and v e ry diverse amoun t o f diab olical i m agery

g ,

which is intended t o set b efore human eyes and s o before ,

hu m an minds the princes kings and queens o fthe i nvisibl e

, ,

world as figured by artistic im agination in d ifferent periods o f

,

the world and various stages o fculture To make the logical .

appeal complete I ought t o have included a s election o fac

,

knowledged monstrosities such as g r iffin s sphinxes mer , , ,

maids &c which are pure creations o fman s phantasy With

,
.
,
’
.

these figures yo u are howe v er familiar enough fo r my pur , ,

p ose Well then call up in your mind th e fig men t s t o whic h

.
, ,

I h ave referred and then cast your eye over t h e whole Fr o n

,

t is p iec e exceptin g the centr al figure

,
C omp are the t wo care .

fully together and tell me wherein they differ Ar e they n o t

, .

a ll — —
thes e as well as those concep t ions o fthe hum an mind ?
m ere conceptions o fthe human mind ? Are t hey n o t human
a ttempts t o emb ody in v isible for m certai n dar k side s o fhum an

n ature ? They represent n o t obj ective re al iti e s but s ubj ectiv e

, ,

m odes o f t h ought They ar e i m ages n o t per s onalitie s 5 they

.
,

a re e m blems o r symbols t h at is visible sign s o —

f what ? , ,

R eal beings for instance the m ermaid ? o r the s atyr ? But ,

if n o t the mermaid o r the satyr then why o fHad e s ? why o f ,

3 00 S A TA N A D IS TO R TIO N CF MA N S M IND ’
.

and 8 ) an d the Calmu c k devil ( Z e rn ebo g 6 ) an d the Slavonic ,

( H erli K han 7
) o n the other ,

Had I been able to give a greater n umb er o fartistic illus ~

t ra t i o n s I c ould have m ade th i s argu m ent all but univer s al so

, ,

as to put it beyond a doubt th at every nation tribe and clan , ,

m akes each its o wn devil and m akes him o u t o fthe d iversified ,

ele m ents o fits o wn brai n Thus is i t that in all these imita .

t ions I am but likenesses o f m y creators w h o being them , ,

s elves hu m an can endo w m e only w ith hu m an for m s facultie s

, ,

and at t ributes Manifestly then I have n o other personality

.
, ,

than is r e fl e Ct e d fro m those ever varying images and d istortions -

.

Consequently I a m o f necessity an evanes c ent being As

,
.

hu manity i mproves I lose the murky an d furious ele m ents o f ,

my c haracter Whe n m eridia n sunshine co m es in the hear t

.

o fthe hu m an species I shall be as bright as a seraph The ,

.

root of good in m e will have grown i n to pure and be n e fic e n t

m an .

This m ost desirable issue is foreshadowed in 1 1 the half ,

light half dark figure o fHe ! and foretold in the character

,
-

, ,

*
the attitude and the m ission o ft h e central figure Christ ,

w h o has under his feet n o t myself and m y captains merely ,

but the principal sy m bols o fdev ilry tha t is the serpent the , ,

basilisk the lion and the d ragon thus predicting his fin al

, ,

c asting the de m ons o u t o fthe u niverse by the innate and

c leansi n g vi rtue o fhis life d eath and ever growing ever e u ,

-

,
-

d uri n g s way
‘

“
T h ou s h l t t d up
a r ea on t he li on an d a dd 5 er

y g li d g h lt t h pl d f t
g

Th e oun d on an t he ra on s a ou t ra m e un er ee .

( PS . x ci .

The w olf l h ll d w ll wi t h t h l m b a so s a e e a ,

A d t h l p d h ll li d w wit h t h kid
n e eo ar s a e o n e ,

A d l ittl h ild h ll l d t h m
n a e c S a ea e .

Th y h ll e t hu t d t y i ll my h ly m
S a no r n or es r o n a o o u n t a in 5
F th or t h h ll b f ll ft h k
e e ar wl d g fJ h s a e u o e no e e o e ov a h ,

As t he w a te r s c o v er t he se a .
”
( Is . xi .
)

T is h figu re is fro m an I t li a an iv o r y o f t he t e th n cen u rt y ,

as gi v en in
Di d r o n
’
s H ist o ir e de D ieu .
 THE A LL S U B DU IN G CH R IS T
-
. 3 01

A fe w more e xplanatory w ords must b e subj oined .

Sheva The Ahri m an o fPersia and t h e Satan of e c c le s i

as t ic is m are too con c rete and definite for the genuine Hindo o
,

m ind . Hence its art presents no figure w hich c an b e stri c tly

c o n sidered as t h e counterp art of m e although Vitra Ya m a , , ,

and still m ore M ah as ur a each has features in common w ith ,

m yself I have consequently directed my engraver to present

.

a figure o fSheva who as the destru ctive po w er in the Hindoo

, ,

T ri m u rt i o r Trinity w ears symbols which more nearly des c rib e

,

the ferocity whi ch is m y chi ef c haracteristic as pictured in ,

-

the
“
—
fir e and brimstone theology o fold fashioned orthodoxy
-
”
-
.

Hades the king o fthe dead sits in the cut recei v ing ,

ho m age from his ghostly subj ects as they descend into his
invisible do minions the shades wh e r e d w ell the shado w s L ike
,
e

Hindooism the Hellenic religion was li ttle inclined to the

,

c learly d e fi n e d and robust S ata n i sm o f the middl e ages and

-

the darker days o fm o dern tim es The t w o figures 8 and 4 .

, ,

n o t unap t ly characterize the spirit of the two religions o fwhi c h ,

they adumbrate the shady side Thi s put into other words .
, ,

declares that the spirit o fHellenism is preferable to the S piri t

o fSatanis m Accordingly yo u w ill look in vain in this m onar c h
.

o fthe pagan h ell f o r any thi n g like the truculent rage of Sheva ,

m uch less of Herli Khan Yet you may there find an illus.

t r a t i o n o fa subterranean pri nc e sp oken o fin Book vii Chap

ter iv Hades as a personificatio n see m

.

. s to b e referred to i n
the original ( Hades ) for the ter m Grave o f1 C o r xv 5 5 . . .

The all conquering Christ ( 1 0 ) shews Jesus as treading

-

un der foo t man s great ene m ies as sy mbolized by destructive

’

beas ts and by S atan seated o n the throne Ofhis p o w er and

,

attended by repres entatives o fhis aristo cra c y Here I appear .

in all my attributes The ful ness and c o m pleteness of my

.

prerogatives are denoted by the threefold for m s whi c h c rown

my head and shine forth fro m my breas t and m y knees Thi s
, .

triune honour was paid to m e as the antithesis of the triune

God o fthe schools and the c hurches .

Finally the p icture presented on the cover of the volume

, ,
3 02 F IG UR E OF THE C ON TE S T OF G OOD A ND E V IL .

copied from Airy S chae ffer s Temptation symbolizes t o the ’

,
’

eye the subs t ance o fits contents in presenting the great c o n

test o fgood and evil which still proceeds in the worl d and o f ,

which the final issue is predicte d and guaranteed by the divine

”
h e r o 1 s m o f the S o n o fGo d and the S o n o fMan ”
.

C HAPT ER III .

AM I A P ER S ON OR AM I —
P O W ER ? TH C RU C A L E I T STE .

IN the course o fmy au tobiographical narratives I have laid

before yo u my diligent pupil various considerations which
, ,

conspire t o prove that I am n o t a pe rson but a power Before ,

.

I set my fo o t o n the ladder down which I am about t o descend

t o the level o fmy fellow men I have asked myself whet h er
-

there is any actual test o f my imperso n ality so clear as to

satisfy the least easily persuaded p erso n s I will lay o n e before .

y o u .

Were I a pers o n I should have access t o the m inds o fmen

,

as men that is all men indif

,
ferently But there is a class o f .

men whose minds are barred a gainst me Yet these men are .

n o t better than their neighbours Vice then does n o t depend .

, ,

o n my p ersonality Men may be vi c ious and n o t be seduced

.

by me But if vice is in o n e c ase independent o fme it must

.
,

b e s o in all It follows that vice as such is indepe ndent

.
,

o fme —
Whence then is it ? Vice exists whence but from
.

vicious hearts ? In other words there is in human na ture a ,

proneness t o moral evil which c o n sidere d o n t h e wid e area

, ,

o f humankind may be called a p ower Tha t p owe r I am

,
. .

In order to establish this position I must exhib it th e ex c ep ,

tion t o w hi ch I have referred The R oman Catho li c clergy .

”
tran smute what they call a child o fthe devil i nto a child .

”
o fGod by the sacrament o f baptism and by other sacra ,
 04 F OR IT Is E X ER C IS ED IN RO MA N P R IE STS .

bodies o fothers thou mayest cast o u t all uncleanness and sin

,

from thy mi nd and body lest thou fall a vi ctim to him w ho m ,

thou dr iv est from others b y thy m inistry Le arn by t hy Ofi c e .

t o co m mand the vices lest the ene m y may have any part in ,

thy character F or then wilt thou rule over other demons

.

w hen thou hast fir st overcome all their w i c kedness in thyself

w hi c h m ay God by his Spirit gran t thee to perfor m .

“
R ecei v e then an d possess the po w er o flaying hands o n
, ,
”
de m oniacs w hether bap t ized o r c atech u m ens
,
.

Holy Bo r d F ather Almighty E ternal Go d condescend to

, , ,

bless this thy servant in the o ffic e of the E xor cists ; that ,

by the i mposition of his hands and the w ords of his mouth ,

he m ay p ossess the po w er and authority o fc oerc in g unclean

spirits so as that b eing buil t up in the grac e o fhealing and
, ,

in c elestial strength he may become an approved ph y s ician in ,

thy Church We ask it by o u r L ord Jesus C hr is t thy Son

.
,

w h o lives and reigns w ith thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit
Go d throughout all ages A m en . .

That the p o w er thu s communicated inheres in the p riest so

long as it is n o t formally taken a w ay by t h e episcopal aut h o
rity by which i t is given app e ars in ,

The F o rm fo r d eg r a di n g an E xo r c is t .

After the Book o fE xorcisms h as been taken from the cul

prit the degra di ng bishop uses these words
,

We re m ove from thee the po w er o flaying han d s o n pos

sessed persons and o fexp elling demons from their bodies the
, ,
”
function of exorcising b eing w holly interdicted t o thee .

O ver priests then it is clear I have no p ower except by their

, ,

o wn per mission Consequently you here possess a decisive

.

argument whether or not I am a person o r the creation o f ,

m en s o w n fond i m aginations As I t h e cau se of all evil

’
.
, ,

Po n t i fic al e R o man u m Sum m or um Po n t ificu m j as su Ed it um . M ech

li
n eae, 1 85 5 .
 I MM O RA L ITIE S C ONNE C TED W ITH PAPA L P R IE S TS
have n o indepen dent power over priests priests are o fc ourse ,

free fr o m my baneful influence In oth er words they a re .

,

holiness to the L ord What ho w ever has fact to say to this

.
, ,

c onclusion ? The conclusion is contradicted by hi story in the

m ost e m phatical m anner Hence it follo ws that sacerdotal
.

w i c kedness springs fro m the man and not the devil In other ,
.

w ords every priest having the power to expel m e m ay ha v e

, , , ,

and m any o fthem have actuall y a n other devil in their own ,

v it ia t e d nature
-
.

O bservances o fthe darkest kind wound their sluggish and ,

pestiferous way through the Christian C hurch during many ‘

centuries o n toward the revival of letters Civil as well as .

ec clesiastical legislation strove and strove mostly in vain to

“

, ,

arrest the black flood Ho w in deed, could the Church act

.
,

w ith eff ect w hen by upholding m e it perpetuated the fo ul

, ,

source W hen c e the p o ll uting w a t ers ca m e ? A monk or a nun

w h o had b een guilty o fself p ollution th rew the blame on m e -

o r so m e of m y i m ps and having relieved hi m self o r herself

, ,

in conscience easily pa id the light penalties imp osed by the

,

fath er c onfessor or the Penitentiary o fthe Church .

*
Indeed there exist volu m es whi c h co ming down from
, ,

the sixth to the later cen t uries and co n taining the ni cely g ra ,

d uat e d penal t ies for misdeeds committed by ordinary o r sacer

dotal disciples shew h o w terribly crimin al the ti m es wer e and
,

h o w fearfully corrupt was the Church The vilest deeds I .

must pass unm entioned .

I proceed to quote from the sour c e j ust referred t o and ,

in particular fro m a Penitentiary o fthe 9 th century entitled ,

P wn i ten ti a le Ps eu d o T heo d o r i Chapter iii

-
,
.

On Pe r mea t i o n by th e C ler gy .

1Bishops priests deacons co m mitting fornica t ion in

.
, , , ,

virtue of the canon shall lose their rank and do penan c e a c ,

cording t o ep i scopal judgment yet they may take the c o m ,

Di e Buss o r d u n g en d er Aben d lan d isch en K ir ch e ,

v on Dr . F W H
. . .

Wasserschleben . 1 v ol . 8vo . H all e 1 8 5 1

-

,
.

X
 06 AS S E T F OR TH IN O FF IC IA L D O C U M E N TS .

munion Bishops priests deacons monks sub deacons

. 2 .
, , , ,
-

and other clergy together with all such as ar e dedicated to ,

Go d imita ting fornication shall if clerk s d o penance fo r v

, , , ,

years ii o n bread an d water deacons and monks vii i years

, , ,

iv o n bread and w ater priests x years o n bread and water ,

bishops xii years v ii on bread and water In the same

, , .

way nuns shall do p enance if they voluntaril y imitate for

n i cat i on with such p ersons 3 But if which Go d forbid . .
, ,

bishops , priests deacons monks sub deacons and other clergy

, , ,
-

, ,

beget sons with n uns then t h e penance must be aug m ent ,

ed thus : clerks shall do p enance for vi years iii o n bread ,

and water s u b deacons viii years iv o n bread and water 5

-

, ,

deacons and monks for x years v o n bread and water ; , ,

priests xii years vii o n bread and water 3 bishops xv years

, , , ,

viii o n bread and water After the same manner the nun s .

m u s t fl o p enance But if they di e during their punishment .

,

they must do penan ce as long as they live 4 Whatever . .

bishops priests deacons monks sub deacons and other clergy

, , , ,
-

’
co m mit adultery with other men s wives let them do penance ,

— clerks v years on bread and water deacons and monks,

,

v n years iv o n bread and water 3 priests x years v o n

, , ,

bread and water If however they pro create c hi ldren then.

, , ,

the p enance must be augmented as is above laid down .

5 If any clerk who has a wife and lies with her after hi s
.

reception o fthe honour Of priesthood l e t him know that he ,

commits adultery and l et hi m d o p enance according to the ,

s cale already given 6 A priest o r deacon if he marries . .

,

another man s w ife is to be deposed in the conscienc e Of the

’

p eople But if he c ommits adultery with her he shall be

.
,

cast out o fthe Church and do p enance among laymen as long

as he lives 7 Bishops priests deacons monks sub deacons
. .
, , , ,
-

and oth er clergy imitatin g forni cation with lay women that , ,

is with widows o r gir ls shall do penance clerks for i v years , , ,

i o n bread and water sub deacons v years iii o n bread and -

, ,

w ater priests viii iv o n bread and water bishops x v o n

, , , ,

bread and water In the same way those females sha ll do

.
3 08 THE PAPACY O O NDE M NED BY P RO V IDEN C E .

dec lare that had I constructed the Papacy with my o wn han d s ,

and were I the personal devil o f priestly description and

popu lar d elusion I could not have made it worse than it has
been —more unholy more d istracted more s m itten by Provi
,

-a

, ,

dence Take as my voucher a recently pub lished History the

.
,

last pages Of whi c h give this

S umm a r y f
ot he P ap a cy .

“
The papacy from Simo n b ar Jonas called Saint Peter , ,

do wn t o Pio N ono the present Pope has had 2 9 3 hea d s , ,

‘

called popes Thirty o n e Of these were anti popes or usurpers

.
- -
.

O f the remaining 2 6 2 legiti m ate p opes 2 5 came t o a violent ,

death as follows 1 8 were poisoned namely Jean X I Cle

, , , ,

m ent II D am as u s II .
,
Stephen IX John XII I Pascal II .
,
.
, ,

-
the same that di sinterred and insulted the corpses Of
—
HenryIV and Clement II Ge lasius II Benedict X I Alex
. . .
, ,

ander V P ius III Al exander V I Hadrian V I Marcellus

.
, .
, , ,

II U rba n V II Clement XIV and Cle m ent VI II L eo XI

.
, , . .
, .

and (perhaps ) XII 5 finally L eo X died either o f poison o r .

,
.

the small pox o r it may be o f b oth F our popes w ere

-
, , , .

assassina t e d — John VIII L eo V I L eo VII and John XII .

, ,
. .

T hi rteen othe rs died by various means Stephen VI was . .

s trangled 5 L e o I I I a n d John XVI were m utilated and lamed 5

. .

Joh n X s tifled 5 Benedict VI was killed by a c ord round hi s

. .

n ec k 5 John X IV died Of hunger 5 Lucius II by stoning 5

. .

Gre gory XVI I I being imprisoned perished in an iron c age 5

, ,

Celes t ine V Of a nail drive n into hi s temples 5 Boniface by

.

his o wn hands from rage at having been whipped ; Clemen t

V wa s burnt o n his death be d 5 U rban VI was thro wn fro m
.
-
.

h is hors e and died o fthe fall 5 Pa ul II died fro m apoplexy fro m .

o v e r ea t ing 5 Pius IV died fro m e x cess in a wo m an s arms

’
-
. .

Sixty four popes then o u t Of 2 6 2 perished in some extra

-

, , ,

ordinary manner 5 w ithout counting 2 0 others who suddenly

died from vexatio n i n consequence o f reverses they s uf fered ,

nota bly Gr ego ry IX In nocent IV Pa ul III and IV Gre .

,
.
,
. .
,

g ory XIII .
 WHAT W ORK OF C IVIL IZ A TION B EL ON G S TO THE P O PE S ? 3 09

T w en t y six p opes w ere deposed o r expelled or exiled

-

, , ,

without counting the pop es Of Avignon These are Sergius .

III Benedi c t V L eo VIII John XII I Benedi c t VIII

.
,
.
,
.
, ,
.
,

Sylv ester III Gregory V V II IX X II Alexander III .

,
.
, ,
.
, , .
,

U rb an V and V I Pascal II Gelasius II Innocent II and

.
,
.
,
.
, .

IV E ugenius III and IV Hadrian III an d IV Lu c ius

.
, . .
,
. .
,

III Martin IV , Pius V I VII and Ix ( the present pope )

.
,
.
,
. .
,

John XXII I w h o was hunted by his brother p op e Ma r t i n

, ,

V .
,
as if he h ad been a wild beast .

“
Moreover besides t h e first 1 4 popes who did not believe
, ,

in the D eity of Chris t first proclaim ed by Z ephyrinu s in the ,

year 2 0 2 2 1 w ere clearly heretics 5 viz Marce lli nus Z ephy

,
.
, ,

r in u s Cornelius Marcell u s Sylvester I Liberius D am as u s

, , , , , ,

E leutherius Inn ocent I Vigilius Pelagius I Z o z imu s F elix

, , , , ,

III Honoriu s I Horm isdas John II John VIII L eo III

.
, , ,
.
, .
, .
,

Sixtus V and Anastasius and Gregory the Great w h o w ere

.
, ,

iconoclasts .

Several p opes w ere acc us ed Of murder T w enty eight .

-

popes i nvited foreigners into Italy for the sake Of being sup
ported i n the c h ai r of S aint Peter N i cholas III Opens the
‘ .
.
’
.

se ries Of nepotis t p opes .

“
In brief 9 0 popes suffered violent deaths and w ere ex
, ,

ell e d deposed banished 5 3 5 underwent the sa m e fate fro m

p , ,

being u nfaithful to their Office 5 2 8 w ould have been subj e c t

to the sa m e lot but for the intervention Of foreigners in all ,

1 5 3 un w orthy popes p u t of
What dynas t y what institu t ion in the w orl d ever had a , ,

darker history ?
Civ ilization asks what share the Papacy has taken in its
w ork Is it the press
. Is i t ele ctri city ? Is it steam ? Is it
c he m i c al analysis Is it free trade Is it self go v ernme n t ? -

Is i t the principle of nationality ? Is it the proclam ation Of

the rights Of man ? O f the liberty Of conscience ? O f all
this the Papacy is the negation Its cul minating points are .

Gregory I who like O mar burnt libraries ; Gregory V II

, , , ,
3 10 THE P A P ACY HAS S M ITTEN AL L EURO P E .

wh o d es t royed a moiety Of R o m e and c reated the temp oral

sovereignty ; Innocent III who founded the Inquisition ;
Boniface IX wh o destroyed the last remains o f m unicipal
.
,

liberty in R ome 5 Pius V II who committe d the same wrong ,

in Bologna ; Al exander VI wh o established the cen s orship ,

o f b ooks ; Paul III wh o publis hed the bu ll f o r the esta.

,
~

blis hm en t o fthe Jesuits 5 Pius V wh o covered E urope with .

,

burning funeral piles ; U rban VIII wh o tortu red Galileo 5 .

,

and Pius IX who has given us the modern S ylla bus

.
,
.

Has n o t the Papacy stamped i t s brand o n all the nation s

o fE urope In England that brand is Mary Tudor 5 in Spain
i

, ,

Philip II 5 In t h e L o w C ountries the D uke Of Alva 5 i n

.
,

Bohemia the war against t h e Hussites 5 in F rance Simon de

, ,

Montfort Saint Bartholomew an d the revocation o fthe E dic t

, ,

Of N antes ; in Germany the Thirty Years War 5 in South ,

’

Am erica destr uction 5 in Italy division and foreign desp otism

, ,
.

“
What ground Of existence then has the Papacy ? In , ,

Italy it im pedes the settlement o fnatio n ality 5 in Mexico the ,

formation o f the State 5 in F rance t h e progress o ffreedo m 5 ,

in Engl and the p a cificat io n o f Ireland In virtu e o f what

,
.

m erit then does it claim its right to live

, ,
To travel through
its past history Of fifteen cent uries is hideous and distressin g ,

e t it is replete w ith instruction It proclaims beyond all

y .
,

contradiction that the Ro m an world must be d ep apaliz e d

,

b efor e it can be really

Yet the specific ti t le Of ea c h Of this l ong line o fpope s is ‘
”
H is Holiness Holy ? What then is unholy ? And h o w
.

c ould several o f these feeble m ortals hav e been m ore w icked

than they were had they been u nder the temptation o fa per _
,

s onal devil as wicked as the devil is described t o be by the pap a l

s ystem ? I f men wh o are armed c ap e p i e again s t my i n fl u -

ence m en wh o were the temple and the channel Of the Holy

,

Spirit could be s o base and so unfortunate h umanity c ontains

, ,

H ist oir e D ipl o mat iqu e d es C on clav es , p ar F . P . D ell a Gat tin a , M D . .

et M emb r e d u P ar l emen t I t li
a en . 4 v ol s . 8 vo . 1866 .
 THE L INE OF DE M ON IACA L T R AD ITION B ROKEN .

the do c trine tha t makes me the absolute antagonist o fGo d

and the prince of the po w ers of hell Yet here a halt m ust . .

b e noticed as there w ere several interruptions of the line Of

,

the t riune de velop m ent Ofthe idea of God .

Abundant doubtless at the end Of the second century w ere

, ,

the e lements o ut Of which a full grown Sa tan m ight have -

come forth N evertheless the process Of the unfoldin g of

.
,

such concept ions , if sure in its fi nal issue varies in time ,

and place with cul ture i n dividuals an d opportunities , so that

, ,

a long series of years or even centurie s is required to fil l up

, ,

gaps to supple m ent d eficiencies to correct error and so to

, , ,

bring forth in co m pletion t h e full logical result I propose .

t o exe m plify these statements in speaki n g Of the fab l ed descent

OfChrist into hell havi n g i t for my p ui p o s e to educe fro m

,
l '
w hat i s said an arg u m e n t I n favour of m y impersonality and
my final disappearance .

A scriptu ral passage of doubtful auth enticity and a univer ,

sally ad m itted spurious Gospel are the so litary so u rces which

,

“ ”
added to w hat is ter m ed The Apostles Creed the clause ’

, ,
”
He ( Christ ) descended into hell The S cripture runs thus
.

He w ent and prea c hed unto the spirits in prison which ,

w ere aforeti m e disobedient w hen the long suff ering OfGod w as -

w aiting in the da y s of N oah w hile the ark w as preparing ,

”
w herein f e w th at is eight souls were saved by water
, , , ( 1 Pet .

iii 1 8
. The passage w ears an apocryphal air However .

here too the logi c al law of development to which I have r e

ferred is exe m plified .

The general notion w as that Christ by his death had r e

,

versed the loss occasioned by the fall Bu t durin g many .

centuries men Of God h ad died wi thout having had an Opp o r

t u n i ty even of seeing and hearing Christ They w ith all the .
,

ot her dead w ere in Hades B eing there they su ffered priva

,
.
,

tion 5 some s u fl er e d punishm ent greater or less The grand .

idea o fthe universality of the effect o fChrist s death came i n ’

a t this point to lend aid in s olving the ques t ion

“
Ar e the ,

w orthies of the O ld Covenant shut out fro m t h e greatest of

 THE FAB LE or C HRIs T s
’
DE S C EN T IN TO H ELL . 3 13

all blessings the blessing of a share in the benefits a c c ruing

,
” ”
fro m the N e w ? He died for all w as the reply Then c e ,
.

“
the inevitable c on clusion Then he w ent and preached to
the spirits in prison But they says theory .
”
are in ,
”
,
” “ ”
Hades . C o n sequently he m ust have des c ended into hell .

Th e logi c Of the process w as soon forgotten and argu m ent ,

be c am e hi s t o ry in this as in so m any other ec clesiasti c al,

dog m as and practices Fro m so m e date in the s econd century

.

do w n into the last third o fthe n in e t e et h the fa ct OfChrist s ,

’

descent into hell guaranteed by the highest e c clesiasti c a l

,

authority and taught to E ngli sh m en in The Book Of C o m

,
”
m o n Prayer has been held equally with the c ontradi c tions
, ,

Of the pseudo Athana sian Creed -

by all faithful Chur ch m en ,

and sound believers .

Thus fan cies b eco m e facts and false deductions truths

essential to salvation .

If I am g uilty Ofm isl eading m en I migh t plead in ex c use ,

that I follow my ecclesiasti c al superiors I n o w in v ite your .

attention to the spurious Gospel to which I referred This .

is not the pla c e to speak Of its origin or literary c h aracte r .

x
As t o its date Tis ch en d orf places it in the second century 5
‘
’

M au r yt in t h e begin n in g Of the fifth It is s c arcely so early .

as the for m er nor so late as the latter As she w ing a gro w th

,
.

Of the tradition in the Epistle it m ay be safely attrib u te d to ,

the fourth centur y This is an approxim ation near enough

.

for m y purpose It is certai n that Cyr il of Jerusalem , in t h e

.

catechetical in s t ructions he gave fro m the year 3 4 5 to the

year 3 5 1 in that city, used the foll o win g w ords : Christ “

descended in to the b oso m Of death and aroused t h e bodies of ,

several saints who slept the sleep Ofthe to mb D eath at the .

,

sight Ofthat stranger wh o descended into Hades w as

s m itten w ith fear The L atin Version is m ore parti cular and
.
”

e mphati c “
D eath and th e Infernal O ne c onte m plating their ,

i mpious duties together with their cruel subordi nates w ere ,

E v an g eli a Ap o cr yph a .

C r oy an c es e t L eg en d es de l
’
An t iq uit é 2n d d it i P ar is
’
>
r . e on . .
3 14 S A TA N HA DE S
, ,
A ND DE ATH .

taken with fear in their o wn kingdom and e xclaimed s ayin g , , ,

‘We
ar e conquered by thee W h o ar t thou who s ufl e rmg .
,

corruption by the incorrupt arg ument o fthy maj esty furiously

, ,

condemnest o ur power The Greek Of Cyril has it : O n

what a c co unt O door keepers o f Hades are yo u terrifie d at
,
-

,
”
the sight o f this o n e ? What unusual fear has seized yo u ?
The patriarch adds : D eath fled and th at fligh t convicts
“
,

hi m Of cowardic e Then he represents the holy prophets

.
,

Moses Abraham Isaac Jacob Sa muel Is aiah John the

, , , , , ,

Baptist as has t ening t o the scene The last asks Art thou
,
.
,

he that wast t o come o r do we expect another ? ,

”
D avid
i nterposes and says t o Hades that he recogniz es the voice Of
, ,

the Saviour who commands the d evils t o open their gates .

'

Isaiah also is s t ruck with the truth o fhis prediction (xxv 8 5 .

comp 1 C o r xv 5 5 )
. .
“
O D eath where is thy victory 5 wher e
.
,
”
is thy sting ? Saint Cyril puts these words also into the
mo uths o f the holy prophets at the moment o fthe Saviour s ’

arrival E ach Of the righteous ones says Where D eath is , , ,

”
thy victory 5 where Hades thy sting ? , ,

The appearance Of John the Baptist here is accounted for

by the belief then c urrent that as the forerunner Of Jesus he , , ,

had gone down into Hades t o prepare the way before him
there .

“
Cyril finishes wit h the words : Thus were all the righ
”
t e o u s men deliver ed whom death had devoured The general .

thought Of the early F athers is expressed by Ep iph ani us o f

—
Cyprus ( 3 6 8 4 0 2 ) Thu s were fulfilled the things foretold
against the r ulers H ades and D eath wh o ignorant o f the , ,

divine might Of the man Jesus th ought t o overpower him , ,

but were themselves overp owered by hi m Accordingly the .

C hristian orators are wont t o employ this formula : Go d has

by Christ delivered us from the power o fSatan and o fD eath ,

o r Of Hades and Of D eath

”
.

N o w these Satan Hades and D eath are in the early au th o

, , ,

r it i e s t o w h ich I have referred n o t mere p e r s o n ifi c a tio n s ( they ,

have passed o ut o f that stage ) but actual persons O ther

.
, .
3 16 CH R IS T DE MA ND S THE S URRENDER OF H ELL .

d evil, thou has t j us t n o w told me that many whom tho u

hadst m ade ready to be buried he brought t o life again by a ,

S ingle w ord An d if he has delivered others from the to m b

.
,

how and with what power shall he be laid hold o f by u s ?

F o r I n o t long ag o s wallowed down o n e dead man by name ,

L azarus and shortly after o n e Of the living dragged hi m up

, ,

by for c e o u t o f my bowels 5 and I t hink that it was he o f

w ho m tho u speakest If therefore w e rece ive him here I
.
, , ,

am afraid lest perchance w e be in dan ger about the rest F o r .

10 I all those that I have s w allowed from eternity are I feel ,

in co m motion 5 and I am pained in my bowels And the .

snatching away o fL azarus beforehand seems t o me n o go od

S ign 5 f o r n o t like a dead body but lik e an eagle he flew o u t , ,

Of m e Wherefore I a djure thee fo r thy benefit and mine

.
, ,

n o t t o brin g him here 5 for I think he is coming here t o raise

a ll the dead And this I tell thee 5 by the darkness in whi c h

.

we live if thou bring him here not o n e o f t h e dead will be

, ,

left behind in it to me .
’

While Satan and Hades w ere thus S peaking to each other ,

‘
there was a great voic e like thunder saying Lift up you r ,

gates O ye rulers 5 and be ye lifted up ye everlas t ing gates

, , ,

and the king o fglory shall come in ( Psal m x xiv When ’

.

Hades heard tha t he said t o Satan : GO forth if thou art

, ,

abl e an d withstand him

,
Sata n therefore wen t forth to the
.
’

outside Then Hades says to his demo n s : Secure w ell and

.

strongly the gates Of brass and the bars Of iro n and attend ,

t o m y bolts and stand in order and see t o everything 5 for if

,
’
he co mes in here w o e will seize us ,
The forefathers ha v ing .

‘
heard this began all t o revile him : O all devouring and
,
r -

insatiable Open that the king o fglory may come in

,
Then .
’

c ame there a g a i n a voice saying : L ift up t h e gates Hades !

“ ’

, ,

Hades as if forsooth he kne w n o t wh o was there asked

, ,

W h o is this king Ofglory ?

’

Then the angels Of t h e L ord say The L ord strong and

mighty t h e L ord mighty in battle ( Psal m xxiv
,
’
.

And i m m ediately wi t h these w ord s the brazen gates were

 HADE S O V ER C O M E . 3 1T

shattered and the iron bars broken and all the dead wh o had ,

been bo und c a m e o u t of prison .

And the king Ofglory entered in t h e for m o fa man and ,

all the dark places OfHades were lighted up .

I m mediately Hades cried out : We have been conquered I

W o e to us
Then th e king Ofglory seiz ed his chief satrap Satan by the
‘
head and delivered him t o his angels and said
,
Wi t h iron
c hai ns bind his hands and his feet and his neck and his
, , ,

‘
mouth Then he delivered him to Hades an d said : Take
.
,
’ ” 5
hi m and keep him secure til l m y second appearing
,
.

Another p assage Ofthe sam e w riting declares And D eath “

,

and Hell w ere cast into the lake of fire ( Apoc xx

‘

. .

Vivid representations like these w oul d do m ore for deve

loping devilry than learned arguments and sober discourses .

D oubtless too they represent the p op ul ar state Of think in g

, ,

a nd fe el ing at the tim e Here then in m y hum iliation you

.
, , ,

see that break in the line o f demo n ological develop m ent to

whi c h I h ave referred .

My Obj e ct ho wever is not S O much to S hew yo u the pro

, ,

gress and condition of devildo m at this precise tim e as to ,

ask you to look cal m ly and earnestly o n the w e ll d efin e d and -

pro minent personalities that stand before you in at least

Hades and Satan This is a si mple c reation of the hu m an
. .

mind Scriptural inspiration is here out Of t h e question

. .

The w hole from first t o last is a result Of m an s p o w er to

, ,
’

trans m ute his conceptions into personal b eings and to endo w ,

those personal beings w ith kindlin life and individu al att r i g

butes If one age could e ffect s o m II Ch to ward creating a

.
‘

p ersonal devil how easy to believe that the result w ould not
,

fail to ensue fro m a long series Ofages w orking in the sa m e ,

direction and under con d itions the m ost auspicious 1

Ho wever w i t h facts like this b efore me w hat am I to
, ,

think Of the stability of my foundation ? A personification

Th e G p el o fN i co d em u
“
in V ol XV I o f C l a k s A t e N i ce “
’
os s, . . r n -
ne

C h i t i L ib y
r s an 1 87 0r ar .
”
.
3 18 P ER S ON I F I CA TION S VA N IS H As W ELL As A RIS E .

is but a breath If o n e personificat ion brings me i nto exist

.

ence another may t ake me o u t Of it What indeed does the

, .
, ,

figure D eath denote but decay and extinction ? And what

a r e all my names but figures o f sp eech ? AS Satan I am ,
’
man s adversary personified As devil I am either the Old .
,

P arsic d ew a fallen divinity o r the univers al accuser d i a bo lus

, , .

AS fo r serpen t
“ “
roaring lio n “
,
”
Apollyon ( the destroyer ) ,
” ”
,

c learly these are S i m ple attempts to give a conc rete form t o

the evil Of the world L anguage is a changeful thing ; an d.

as t he Old form s pass a w ay o r lose their import they will ,

“
take me w ith them Having been thus sunk from the prin c e
.

Of darkness into o n e Of his o fficers by man s Im agi nation ’

by the sa m e power I must have bee n made and a t the will ,

o fthe s ame power I ma n ifestly hold my present p osition .

CHAPTER V .

LU TH ER S U S TA IN S M Y T TT O ER IN G T H R ONE .

A P O W ER such as mine was n o t easily undermined The .

o l d S aico n reformer L uther to whom the world owes S O much

, ,

o fits highest good was n o t free from the superstitions Of his

,

age 5 that is the accu m ulated superstitions Of centuries Ac

,
.

c o r d in gly I was t o him a personal reality R eal t OO was

,
.
, ,

my kingdom 5 as real as that Of Go d and C hr ist O wning .

my kingdom he Of cours e owned my subalterns and my

,

subj e c ts Indeed t h e w hole Of devildo m as handed down

.
, ,

from the past came into an d was retained by his hands

,
.

This m ay seem strange o n the part Of o n e wh o by his supe

rior intelligen c e liberated the hu m an min d from s o many
falsities But Luther was a rationalist only in par t He
. .

expressly disallo w ed all reaso ni ng about what are called the

mysteries Of religion 5 and made the Bible as the word o f
3 20 LU TH ER P RO V E S G U A RD IA N AN GE L S FRO M S C R IP TURE .

A Gua r d i a n An g el .

Not far fro m Z wickau in Voigtland a pair Of peasants o n e , ,

day sent their s o n a litt le boy into the neighbouring forest

, ,

to bring ho m e the co ws As the lad was dil atory he was .

,

overtaken by n i ght There ca m e so heavy a fall Of snow that

.

the bills were covered to th eir su mmits C onsequently the .

boy w as unable t o fin d his path And as he returned not .

ho m e the next day his p arents w ere greatly distre ssed par
, ,

t ic u la rly as they were prevented by the sno w from making

their w ay in t o the wood O n the thi rd day when the snow .
,

had been pa rtly s wept aw ay by the wind they w ent out to ,

seek thei r C hild Aft er long and w earying search es their

.
,

glad eyes fe ll upon h im as he s a t o n a sunny knoll o n w hich

‘

lay no sno w The m o m ent he s aw his parents he jumped

.

up ,
ran to ward them and laughi ngly asked them why they ,

“
had c o m e In reply they sai d What have you been about ?
.
, ,

W hy did y o u n o t co m e home ? “
Have I been S O long
” “
absent ? Yes ; w h y have yo u tarried here ? The sun
”
set and I c o u ld not fin d my w ay
,
Wh ere did yo u S leep .

“
Here under this tree o n some dry straw
,
“
Ho w did yo u
, .
”

get it ? “”
A you g
n m an —
brought it to me a very good young
“ ” ”
m an . What have yo u done for foo d ? He fed me .

”
Who fed you ? The good man Where is he ? I .

do not kno w5 he co m es and goes and will not stay thoug h , ,

he says m any a kind word to me and I am S O glad Of his ,

” ”
comp any He will b e here again this evening ?
. Yes 5
but we must hasten ho m e ; already the day is beginning to
decli ne ” “
Will he follo w ?
.
“
O how I wish he w o uld 1 ”

Mar t in L uther Ofte n told thi s s t ory and said Is it not , ,

“

written
He will g i e hi s a g el s ch a g e o e th e e
v n r v r ,

T0 k ee p th ee i all t hy way s 5 n

Th ey will b ea th ee up i t h e i h an d s r n r ,

L es t t h ou d ash thy f o ot ag ai st a s to e ( PS ci n n . . x .

Whil e in general describing me in all the worst features

c om m onplac e theologian s L uther n o w and t hen has pas ,
 THE ONL Y EPPEC TUAL E X OR C IS M . 21

sages which not dif fering greatly from the views I have set
,

before you S peak o fme as an impersonation Ofhu man wicked

,

ness rather than as an in di vidual b eing concentrating all

, ,

evil in him se lf F or i ns tance .

A g o d les s ma n is a c o u n t er e it o r
f i ma g e o fS a t a n .

D O yo u wis h to see the true for m and likeness of the

devil ? GO over the ten comm andm ents , and suppose the
opposite Of each i ncarnated in a human b eing and yo u will ,

have Satan hi mself before you in ten di f ferent shapes S ome .

o n e said t o D r L uther that he sho u ld like to see the devil

. .

He answered and said : s God is the t hes is Of the D e ca i

=

”
logue s o is Satan the an t ithes is
,
Ifyou wo ul d really kno w .

the devil pla c e b efore your eyes a godless hopeless w i cked

, , ,

m an who has n o co n scien c e and leads a v i Ci Ou s life and you

, ,

s ee the devil in a bodil y for m the de v il himself ,

.

S p ir i t ua l, not P ap a l, ex o r cis ms exp el S a ta n .

The poor creatures possessed of the devil are not set free
by the w ords o r the arts Of the p ap al conjurors It can b e done .

only by the p ower OfGod in u nion w ith each one s endeavour ’

to give the devil a bad time Ofi t s o long as he remains .

’
D on t a sk the D er ll t o be yo ur g ues t
-
.

O ne Of the German nobles invited D r Martin Lu ther to

-

his mansion in comp any w ith some o fthe scholars Of W itt en

,
c

berg and m ade fo r the m a hunting party They soon start ed

, .

a fine fox Offwent the host seated o n a das hing racer after
.
, ,

the fox He was speedily followed by a second and a third

. .

But t he fourth hunts m an was carried by hi s hors e up into

the air against hi s wi ll The horse fell to ear th and di ed and
.
,

the fox was seen careering thro u gh the at m osphere That .

fox said the do ctor was S atan : ad di n g

,
“
N ever invite the
, ,

devil to a feast we have all de v il s enough around us a n d ,

find enough to do to keep their hands fro m our bodies and

o u r s oul s .
3 22 NE G LE C T A ND C ON TE MP T A G O OD E X O R C IS M .

Ho w a n ho bg o blin t or m en t ed a p a rs o n , a n d L uther
’
s a d v ic e f
or

his exp u ls i o n .

,
A country parson came to Luther from S up z h ard by Torgau ,

who c o m plained to the doctor that by night a hobgoblin was

-

used to enter into his house and with frightful noises set ,

everything into c onfusion overturning the tables setting the , ,

chairs one o n another breaking the pots an d pans S O that

, ,

he and his family had no p eace 5 for said he when he is at , ,

his devil ish w ork I thro w at his head whatever I can lay m y
hand on and he does nothing but laugh and grin at me in
,

the mos t annoying and insult ing manner until at last when , ,

he sees m e most vexed he h u rries away goggling and snigglin g

, .

This ga m e S atan had carried o n for a whole year so that hi s ,

w ife and children could endure it no longer .

Then spake D r Mar t in Luther and said : D ear brother

.
“
,

b e strong in the L ord and in the p ower Of his might 5 hold

fast t hy faith in Christ 5 yield in no way to the dev il This .

kind o fdevil s go o u t only by contempt and neglect L et him .

play his game o ut 5 disturb not yourself 5 thro w neither p ot

nor pan at his head bu t keep quie t in b ed by the side o fyour
,

wife and he w ill get tired of playi n g the fool Try this
,
.

exorcis m fo r three months and then come back and report ,

”
the result The goo d pars on returned and said with tears
.
,

Of gratitude in his eyes D ear D octor Martin L uther he is ,

gone I “
K eep tranquil was the answer and he will never
”
, ,
”
trouble you again .

[th
i

fa er hi mselfwo r r ied hy a ho bg o hl in i n his P a tmo s .

In the year 1 5 4 6 when Luther was at E isleben be related

, ,

the following history h o w the d evil had worried him in the

Wartburg saying W hen in the year 1 5 2 1 I was travelling
, , ,

fro m Worms an d had come to Eisen ach and sat in the castle
o fWartburg in Patmos I was then at a dis t ance fro m other
,

p eople in a study and no o n e was to come to me except t w o

,

noble b oys who brought me meat and drink twice a day .

N o w they b ought me a sack Of hazel nuts which I ate from -

,
 DE S PIS E P R IE S TS A ND A TAN EFFE C T
’

3 24 TO S HAS ITs .

an dwhimpered lik e a chil d The trick worked o n the b ereave d .

father and he knew n o t w hat t o do Thereon the priests

,
.

“
cried out Yes yes 5 yo u see h o w it is when people w Oi i t
,
’

”
p ay for V igil s and mas ses Po or so ul who pities thee ? In
.

his s ore trouble the w orthy m an sent for me and entreated

, ,

my advice stating that he had read my ser m on o n the words

, ,

They have Moses and the Prophets (L uke x v i On .

this I wrote to him not to be troubled at t h e matter for it ,

w as simply an ill turn done hi m by the de v il adding that he ,

was to despis e bo th priests and S atan and all would go w ell ,

.

He followed my counsel bidding the priests to seek cus tom ,

somewhere else and Saying to the devil What ! is thi s the

, ,

—
b est you can do to w himper lik e a chil d ? Of f wit h you ,

—
c ursed spirit ! off with you to your o wn place the deepest
S p ot i n hell ! Th ereon the devil began to storm and h eat
ab out ; he ho wled like a wolf ; he b ellowed li ke a bull ; bu t
no o n e cared for what he di d not even the chil d ren 5 an d ,

he w as driven away by contempt The contempt fill ed the .

house to such a de g ree that when he laid hold o fthe skirt of ,

a maid s erv ant who was carrying a child up the stairs she
-

beat him o f fby the simple phras e “

Bah bah S illy thing ,

Aft er some tim e Mr Jacob the ma y or Of Bremen ca me to,

.
, ,

Magdeburg and to ok up hi s abode at the head hotel I .

wa nt said h e to his host

,
” “
to hear thi s de v il which is s o ,

“
much t al ked of here You shall honoured sir hear him .
, ,
”
this even ing at eigh t o clock Sur e enough th e devil came ’
.
,

do wn the chi m ney breaki ng and overthrowing everythi ng i n

,

“ “ ”
his p as sage Well w ell said Mr Jacob
. I have had
, ,
.
,

enough o fhi m L et s t o bed There w ere t wo chambers

.
’
.
”

near e ach other In o n e lay the landlady her childr en and

.
,

her maid s ervants 5 t he other w a s o c cupied by Mr Jacob and

-
.

mi ne host When now M r Jac ob had gone to b ed the devil

. .
,

c a m e and began t o S port w ith hi m t ak ing away his coverlet

.

,
.

Mr Jaco b was horrifie d and fell to pray with all hi s might

.
,
.

The n the de vil went into the next chamber and began to
p lay his tric k s o n the women c h afli n g them an d ru nn i ng over ,
 A D VI C E F OR G RO W N -
UP CH ILDREN . 3 25

the bed clothes n o w as a troop Ofmice and now as a troop o f

,

rats And as he would not cease the hostess threw at him a

.
,

certain c hamber c onvenience saying Take that vile w retch ! , , ,

and go o n a pilgri m age to R o m e to worship thi ne idol the ,

pope and buy a score Ofindulgences at hi s shop Yo u need

,

the m all 5 and w hen you have got the m what good will they ,

do you ? That m oment the devil and his im ps fled away 5 quia
”

est superbus spiritus e t non p o tes t ferr e c o n t emp t um sui 5 for ‘

he is a haughty scoun dr el and cannot endure conte m pt ,

.

The advice is excellent If all the grown up children in .

-

the world and all the Old w omen in m ale attire w ould o n ly
, ,

desp ise m e I S hould s oon be driven o u t o f existence 5 and

,

with m e there would depart a hos t Of phanto m s such as “

superstitions fear o f ghosts fear of man fear Of s elf and I

, , , ,

know n o t how m any m ore fears by which weak m ortals n o w

whip themselves with rods o firon and S pikes Of brass made
by their o wn hands N O the devil cannot stand against the
.

dissolving force Ofp ersistent neglect

“

The fact is owned by R ichard Baxter who h as recorded a ,

case relative to o n e Mr White o fD orchester assessor to the

.
, ,

W estm ins ter Asse m bly at L ambeth who being ( as the aC COim t ,

puts it ) honoured with a V isit On e nigh t fro m the arch fi en d -

treated hi m w ith cool conte mp t The devil in a light night .

stoo d by his b ed side Th e assessor lo oked a wh ile whether

-
.

he w ould say o r do anything F inding that n o t hin g e n su e d .

,

and annoyed at bein g thus t rifl e d with he said If thou has t , ,

nothing to do I have 5 and so tur ned and composed hi mself

,
*
to S leep .

Without consul t ing the ecclesiastical casuists I could not ,

q ui t e take o n myself to de clare conte mp t a Chris tian virtue 5

but certainly it is a less o ffensive method Of exorcis m than
so m e others whi ch fable has recorded Beaum ont s ays Ofthe .

“
spirits w hi c h he s a w : I have seen several spirits and pointed ,

to the pla c e where they were , telling the co m pany t hey were
.

Hibbeas ’ “
P hi l phy
os o of A pp ar i t i on s , p . 13 1 .
3 26 C OLER ID G E O N THE CA U S E OF LU TH ER S HA LLU C IN AT ION S
’
.

there And o n e S pirit whom I heard calli ng t o me as h e

.
,

stood behind me o n a sudden clapp ed his fi n ger t o m y side

, ,

which I sensibly perceived and startled at ; and as I s aw o n e

spirit come in at t h e door which I d id n o t like I suddenly , ,

laid hold Of a pair o f tongs and struck at him with all my ,

”
force whereupon he vanished
, .

And yet as he was a spirit a blow could d o hi m n o harm

, ,
.

It would however be easy t o mul tiply narratives h o w the

, , ,

f a m u lu s Of o n e man struck him o n the right o r left ear as h e ,

did well o r ill 5 h o w to another person an angel came w ith a

”
S i mil ar design and
“
whipp ed the O ffending Adam o ut of h im 5
,

how a third visionary fancied he was scourged o n a bed o f

steel by devils 5 h o w a lad was kille d by a sp irit from a bo x
o n the ear 5 and in short how a cloud Of other phantasms
, ,

have not been content with a bodiless form but have assu m ed ,

a pugil istic character and boxed n o t ( like honest Jack Tar)

, ,

the compass but their unhappy victim s and indoc ile scholars ;
,

thus by the incongruity o fthe functions ascribed t o my agents

, ,

supplying a sufficie n t proof that the whole subj ect is clutched

o u t Of the air .

The passages which I have adduced from the great Saxon

R efor m er while testifying the universality and depth Of my
,

influ ence in his days bear witness also t o t h e approach o f

,

my declining years Alrea d y I feel the fresh breeze Of the

.

dawning day which I am reputed t o be u nable t o endure

,
.

When a witticis m a vulgarity o r disrespect has power t o put

, ,

m e t o flight I already foresee my grey hair and my tottering

,

limbs .

If the following extract fro m C oleridge s F riend (II 2 3 6 )

“ ’
.

is so m ewhat plainly spoken it nevertheless c ontains much ,

good sense in regard t o L uther s familiarity with me ’

“
Had L uther been himse lf a prince he coul d n o t have ,

desired better treat m ent than he received during his eigh t

months stay in the Wartburg 5 and in consequence o fa more
’

luxurious diet than h e had b een accustomed t o he was plagued ,

with temptations both from the flesh and the devil It is .

 3 28 E X P EL S P OU R DE VIL S .

entreated me t o give him somethin g fo r he was resolved he ,

would g o to nob ody els e I perceivi ng what an opinion he

.
,

had Of me and th at it w as o nl y melancholy that tr ouble d

,

h im, to ok him in hand and warranted him if he wo ul d fo l

, ,

l o w my directions to cure him in a short time

,
I desired .

him t o let me b e alone ab out an hour and then t o come ,

agai n ; which he was V ery willi ng t o In the meantim e I .

got a card and wrapped it up handsomely in a piece o ftaffeta

, ,

and put strings t o the t afl e t a 5 and when he came gave it ,

h im to hang about his ne ck 5 withal charging him that he

shoul d n o t disorder hi mself either with eating o r drinking ,

but eat very li ttle o f supp er and say his prayers duly when,

he went t o bed ; and I made no question that he would b e

well in three o r four days Wit hin that ti me I went to .

dinner t o his house and asked hi m how he did He said he

, .

was much b etter but n o t p erfectly well 5 for in truth be had

,

not dealt clearly with me 5 he had four devils in his head ,

and be p erc eived two o f them were gone w ith that which I
‘
had given him but the other t w o troubled hi m s till
,
Well .
,
’

‘
said I I am glad t wo o f them are gone 5 I make no doubt
,

S O I gave him another

’
t o get rid o fthe other two likewi se .

thing to hang about his neck Three days after he came t o .

m e to my chamb er and professed he was n o w as well as h e

,
.

ever was in his life and did ext remely thank me fo r the grea t
,

c are I had taken Of h im I fearing lest he might relapse into

.
,

the like distemp er told him that there was none but m yself
"

and o n e physician more in the whole town that could cure

the devils in the head and that was D r Harvey (whom I
,
.

had prepared) 5 and wished him if ever he found hi mself il l ,

in my absence to go t o him fo r he c ould cure him as well

, ,

as myself The gentl eman lived many year s and was never
.
,
”
troubled after .
 B EKKER ,
S A TAN S G REA T A S S A IL A N T
’
. 2 9

CHAPT ER VI .

A TTAC K AN D DEFEN C E : B EKKER H ENRY M ORE , ,

AN D G O AD BY .

THE sands o fmy existence are runn ing down What w as .

once soli d ground begins to tre m ble under m y fee t 5 and yet
no pit c hed battle has been fought To all outward app ear
‘

an ce m y emp ire i s as wi de an d my throne as fir m ly set a s

,

ever If any disposition to yiel d o n the part of m y sacerdotal

.

supporters has become manifest it is o n ly in consequence o f ,

the piercingness Of m y o wn eye from which as you may , ,

“

judge m y loving friend fe w things are wholly hidden In

, , .

reali ty ho w ever I feel that the j Oin t s an d bands of m y exist

, ,

ence are undergoin g di s solution And as I wish to c o mmu .

n icate my o wn kno wledge to you I proceed to put before you ,

t wo antagonists and one advo cate o fno ordinary m ettle w h o ,

have their proper logical place at the p oint to which we have

n o w arrived .

Balthassar B ekker a D utch Protestant clergyman was t h e

, ,

first to strik e a heavy blow at the pestiferous superstitions

connected w ith witchcraft belief in apparitions and o t her ,

“
suppo s ed Operations in hu m an socie t y Of the devil and his
”
angels whi ch alas still haun t and worry the less enlight
, ,

ened classes in b oth he m ispheres D r Bekker was born o n . .

the 2 0 t h Of March 1 6 3 4 in a F riesland vill age o fwhi ch hi s

, , ,

father w as t h e mi nister Having been initiated into the

.

elements o f learning by that parent he stu di ed in the col ,

leges o f Gr oningen and F ranker where he m ade such pro

’

gress in scholarship as t o b e thought at a lat er day not u n

wor thy to receive the honourable title o f D octor o f D ivinity .

AS a country parson at O osterlittens in F riesland be devoted , ,

himself earnestly to his sacre d duties and m anifested special ,

interest in the instru c tion Of c hi ldren which was neglected ,

throughout the province Fo r this important purpose he

.

established a s pecies Of Sunday school As an aid to h is -

.
3 30 E E E E ER S
’
“
THE W ORLD B E W ITCH ED .
”

instructional e f forts he published a short Catechism for C hIl

,
-f

dr e n and another for p ersons of m ore advanced age These

, .

praiseworthy labours excited envy in s ome o f hi s clerical

brethren whose in difl er en c e to t h e wants o f the p eople
’

seemed to b e reproved by Bekk er s intelli gent zeal A cry ’

.

w as raised against him Being a student o f t h e philos ophy

.

o f D escartes then feared by traditionalists

,
he w as described ,

as an enemy to religion The charge w as sustained o u t o f .

his s econd Catec hi sm which fell under the clerical ban a,

s

“
containing strange expressions unscriptur al p ositions and ,
”
dangerous Opinions His assailants w ent S O far as t o ch arge
.

hi m with S oc inianism which at that ti m e w as a s erious crim e

,

in Holland now am ong the freest lands o fE urop e and Ame

,

rica whether for religious o r social liberali t y The annoy

, .

auces h e under w ent in c onsequence of his righteous endea

v o u r s induced hi m to leave F riesland
,
and after a chan ge o f , ,

place o r t w o he settled in Am sterdam

,
The co m et
w hich appeared in 1 6 8 0 and 1 6 8 1 and w hi ch terrified the ,

w orld called forth fro m him another ma n ly utterance in his

,

On d e rs o c h over d e Ko m e t e i or I n qu ir y co n cer n in g C o mets

, ,

wherein he atte m pted to cal m m en s minds by she w ing that ’

co m ets are not the presages o r forerunners of cala m ity This .

piece gained him great reputation as did his E xp os i tio n ,

t he P r op het D a n i el in whi ch he gave abundant evidence Of

,

lear ni ng and sound judgment But the w ork o n w hich his .

fam e is b uil t is his Bet o o v e r d e W e rel d Th e Wo r ld Be wi tched ,

.

What led him to w rite t hi s i mp ortant work was as he declares ,

in its Preface his grief to see the great honours powers and
, ,

“
mira cles which are ascribed to the devil It is co m e to .

” “
pass he says
,
th at men thi n k i t piety and godliness to
,

as cribe a great m any wonders to the devil and impiety and ,

heresy if a m an w ill n o t b elieve that the devil can do what

a thousand pers ons affirm he does It is now reckoned reli .

i o u s if a m an who fears Go d fear s the devil al s o If he is

g .

not afraid o f the devil he passes for an atheist because he , ,

cannot think that there are t wo go ds the o n e good the o ther , ,

3 32 B EKKER P ER S E C U TED BY THE P R IE S TS .

emperor N ero Many o t her thi n gs w hich the Bible says o f

.

the devil are to b e understo od o f men Instead o f the fear

, .

o fthe devil thi s wise man and true mini ster o fChrist r e co m
,

me nd s the fear o f God 3 yea “

by bani shing the fear o f t h e ,
’
devil from men s hearts the wisdom and p ower o fthe Saviour ,
”
w ill only bec ome t h e more signal The advanced position .

which he t ook up in theology is man ifested in the fact tha t ,

he does not s uppress reas on by Scripture nor Scrip t ure by ,

reason but declares them two equally legitim ate p o w ers

,
.

His work speedily excited attention and was soon put o ut ,

i n a translation in F ren ch F orth wit h arose a general cla .

m our Bitter tongues soon produced inj urious deeds The

. .

clerical authorities o fAmsterdam proceeded against the daring

heretic who did not even spare their falsities in his zeal t o
e m ancipate his fellow men from i mag i nary terrors Havin g
-
.

first susp ended him from the holy communion o fthe Supper ,

they o n finding h im intractable dep osed him from the m i

, ,

n i s t eri al O f
fi ce The m agistrates o fAmsterdam how ,

ever being m ore mer c iful than his ecclesiastical brethren

, ,

paid him his salary as long as he lived His deposition did .

not satisfy his assailants They excommunicated him D riven . .

fro m their Church he s ought shelter and sy mpathy among

,

t h e F ren c h Protestant refugees settled in Holland And s o .

he re m ained faithful to his published convictions down to the

d ay of his death w hich took place June 1 1 t h 1 6 9 8
,
He ,
.

passed on w ards in the faith and hop e o fa si m ple minded and -

earnest Christian .

As an illustration o fthe extremes t o which his persecutors

w ent reference may be made to a m edal which they struck at
,

the ti m e o f his deposition and w hich represen t ed the devil , ,

c lad like a clergyman riding up on an ass and holdin g in his

, ,

hand a banner in sarcastic reference t o the victory he had

,

gained in t h e ecclesiastical assemblies W ith the m edal w as

h

published a s m all p i ece in D utch t o explain its import by ,

stating what had been done in the consistory classes and

synods While howe v er the clergy cursed an d sneered im
.
, , ,
 S A TA N BAC KED U P BY M ORE THE Pr a r o x rs r . 333

“
par t ial persons declared that his mora ls were pure and his ,

s o ul fi rm and unyielding The great philosopher L o cke felt

.

a n d expres sed an interest in the unj us t treat m ent Bekker

underwent And w hil e Colli ns in his D is co ur s e o n F r ee

.
,

t h i n k in g attributed the prevalenc e of b elief in diabolical

,

a gen c y to the influence o f priests and its declin e to a free ,

d o m o f t hi nking encouraged at the R evolutio n D r Bentley ,

.
,

“
in his Rem ar ks on that composition Obs er v w z IV h at has ,

‘
les sened in E ngland your stories o f s o rc eri e s Z N ot the ’
.

gro wing s ec t o f atheists but the gr owth o f philosophy and

’

me di c ine N O thanks to atheists but to the Ro yal Society

.
,

a n d College o f Physicians ; to the E a g les and N ewt o n s the ,

S yd e n h a ms and Ra t chfies “ hen the people saw the di seases

T
.

they had i mputed t o witchcraft quite cured by a course of

h i they t o o w ere cured o f the ir for m er error T ey
p y s o, h .

learne d truth by the event not by a fals e p osition d p r io r i— ,

that there was neither witch nor devil And then as to the
fraud s and impostures in t hi s way they have most of the m ,

been detected by the clergy The t w o stronges t books I have .

r ead o n this subj ect were both written by priests 3 the o n e

by D r Bekker in Ho ll and and the other by a doctor whos e

.
,
”
name I ve forgot that w as aft erwar ds Archbishop of York
’

, .

F ive years b efore t h e death of Bekker a man o fhigh c ul ture ,

a n d of las tin g fam e a clerk o f the Church OfE ngland and a

,

distingui shed mem ber o fthe Universit y of Cam bridge the Pla ,

t onic spiritualist Henry More passed from what had been t o

, ,

h im a world of re v eri e into the w orld o feverlast ing reali ties on ,

the 1 s t of S epte m ber 1 6 8 7 If Bekker s w ords were the first

, .
’

breath o fthe n e w life that w as then comi n g forth More s ,

w ords w ere the last thorough and uncons cious wail over t h e

then d yin g p ast N ot that I was i n those days gasping for

.

breath ; but m ine w as already excep t with the ig n orant , ,

a mutilated existence Men believed and doubted and so .

,

Re m arks , &c .
,
by Phil el eut h er u s Lips i en sis , pp . 4 8, 4 9 . 8t h e di ti on ,

1 712 .
3 34 n onn s
’ “
A N TID OTE TO A TH E IS M .
”

c eased to tremble O f cour se t h e priests gre w alarmed If I

. .

were gone what would become o fthe m ? With them t o deny

, ,

the devil was t o deny Go d The incoming deluge must be .

damm ed o ut Among those who put their hands t o the task

.

was the Rev H enry More in hi s Antidote to Atheis m

.
“
.

If the extracts that I am ab out to lay before you create

astonishment as proceeding from s o learned and c ul tivated
,

a divine you my attentive and intelligent listener m ay j udge

, , ,

how t hick and murky must have been the darkness o f the
p op ular m ind under the oppressive i n cu bus especially when ,

o u know that the author was a m ember o f tha t s c hool o f

y
what is called the L atitudinarian divines whose legiti m ate
“
,

s u ccessors are in the present day Arnold Hare Whately , , ,

,
—
Maur ice Kingsley Alford C o n ybear e and Howson and last
, , ,

but by n o means le ast Stanley D ean o f Westm in ster the , , ,

c omparatively free and brave .

“
In Book ii i o f his Antidote against Atheism Henr y
.
,

More speaks ( p as of a matter o ftruth o fa witch who

.
, ,

t o satisfy the curiosity o fthe m that c oul d punish her w as set ,

free that she might give a proof of that p ower sh e professed

,

she had to raise te m pests She therefore being let g o be .

, ,

takes herself to a place thick set with trees scrapes a hole ,

w ith her hand fil ls it with urine and stirs it about so long

, , ,

that she caused at last a t hick dark cloud charged w ith thunder
and lightning to the terror and distress o f the b eholders
,
.

However she bids them to be o fgood courage for she will

, ,

c ommand the cloud t o discharge its contents upon what spot

they should name ; which pro m ise she made good in the
sight o fthe spectators .

In the same plac e he tells o fa yo ung girl who t o please ,

her father complaining o f a drought raised a cloud that

, ,

watered hi s ground o nl y all around remainin g as dry as ,

before .

He tells also o ftwo persons who having by the p ower o f ,

the d evil coursed aloft in the air were cas t hea dl ong o ut o fa ,

c loud upon a house O ne o fthem bein g but a novice and

.
,
3 3 6 S ATAN IsM n rsrun s s , HAn Ass n s AN D T RTU R
O E
” “
c onceive says he
,
t hat the devil gets into their b o dy a n d
, ,

by hi s subtle substan c e more Op erative and s ear chi ng than ,

a n y fire or pur if i ng liquor melts the yielding compages of

y ,

t h e bo d y to such a cons istency and so much o fit as is fit for

_ ,

his purpose and makes it pliable t o his i m agination ; a nd

,

then it is as ea sy for him to w ork it into w hat shape he

pleaseth as it is to w ork the air int o such forms and figures
,

as h e ordin arily doth N or is it any more difficulty for him

.

t o mo di fy what is hard than it is to ha rden what is soft and,

fl ui d as the air And he that hath this power we can never

.
,

stick to give hi m what is lesser v iz to instruct m en h o w they ,

.
,

shall for a time forsake their bo dies and come in again F or .

c an it b e a hard thi n g for him that can thus melt and take i n

piec es the particles of the body to have the skil l and po w er ,

t o loosen the so ul a substance reall y disti nct fro m the bo dy

, ,

a n d separable f ro m it 3 whi ch is at last done b y the e a s v

cour se of nature at tha t final dissolution of soul and bod y

,

w hi ch w e call death Z But no c ourse of nature ever tr an s

‘

forms the body o fman into the shap e o fa wolf so th at this .

i s more hard an d exorbitant from the order o fnature than

”
t h e other .

,
—
Pause here my beloved pupil pause and reflect These .

are the Opinions of a scholar a d iv in e a phil osopher and a , , ,

goo d m an They are not to b e slighted Yet consider how

. .

s uch convictions cut into the v ery flesh b one and marro w of ,

or din ar y life and what tort u re di stress and confusion t h e v

, ,

must have in flicted o n in di v iduals ho m es so ciety the State , , ,

t h e Chur ch Still to th is hour the kernel o fall t hi s mas s of

.

fi xi ng corrupt ion retains some li fe

-
R eli gion the heart and .
,

the so ul of m an is perplexed and horrified w ith thes e terrors

, .

'
Go d s own univers e is not in Go d s hands nor does he fill
’

infin ite spac e and tim e with hi s presence E verywhere h e is .

b eset with a comp etitor w h o thro w s hi s order i nto di sorder .

his l aw into susp ension his b ehests into c onte m pt his happi
, ,

ness into m isery his peace int o c onfusion and w arfare S a y

, .
,

the n if it is not a sign of my taking a t urn for the b etter

, ,
 GOAD RY s T S T I
’
E M ON Y AGA IN S T MY P ER S ON A L Ex rs T E N OE . 3 3 :

when I thus come for ward and through yo u explode the , ,

w hole as a pestiferous m ass of hu m an f ul ly and fraud 1

Ha d those who by profession are so n s of the light not

loved their o wn darkness rather than God s light co m e for ’

w ard and s w ept thes e Augean stables w ith their o wn h and I ,

should have b een content to retire s il ently into w ell m erited -

oblivion But no l the exam ple of the Rev D r More shews

. . .

h o w little there is to be exp e cted fro m t h e p riests I m ake .

this qualifi c ation in a ckno wle d gm ent of the just rep orted ser
vi c es rendered by the Rev Balthassar Bekker ; And I have
.

taken up this tone in order to introduce to y ou a nam e which ,

wh en t h e true lights of the world shall fin d recogn ition w ill ,

shine as a star in the fi rm am en t .

N ot long after the ti m e when More was darkening coun s el

w ith w ord s without kn o w ledge in E ngland and Bekker w as ,

openi n g the eye s of thousands on the continent the re lived , ,

w orked and w rote at Sherb orne in D orsetshire a hu m ble , ,

printer by na m e R Goadby wh o put forth and w idely cir cu

,
.

lated w hat he called An Illustrat i on of the Holy S criptures

“
,

in fo ur large fo lio v olu m es containin g above 3 0 0 0 pages of

,

m atter partly c ollected p artly origin al in which are found

, , ,

the seeds of m any o ft h e m ost advanced ideas of t h e present

,

day Am ong o ther passages o fsi m ilar tenden c y t h e following

.
, ,

whi c h bears direct ly on our the m e deserve s respectful atten ,

tion as the first free and e mphati c utterance in E n gland

against this the m ost prolifi c and b aneful o fsup ers titions
,

“
Another ( I quo t e Mr Go adby s words Prefa ce to hi s
.
’

Illustration of the N e w Testa m ent p 4) Another little ,

.

“
less im p ortant and little less certain truth (than that the ’

Al mighty F ather of the universe m ade heaven and earth and ,

“ ”
sea and all that in them is w ithout any coadjutor ) upon
, ,

whi c h tr ue reli gion m ust be founded is that Go d o n ly r eig n eth ,

supre m e that he hath prepared his t hrone in the heavens

and his kingdo m ruleth over all ( Ps c iii 1 9 ) tha t TH ERE IS . .

N O E V IL B E IN G in the universe w h o vies in p o w er wi t h h im

, ,

F ou th e diti B ld wi
r Lo do
on 1 770
. a n : n n, .
3 38
’
O O AD RY s A R GUM EN T .

and is in declared opposit ion against hi m ; t hat there is n o

b eing o fsuperior order that can inj ure o r draw t o evil and
bring t o eternal misery the human nature ; for this would
deg rade Go d fro m the character o fa F ather a Master and a ,

Sovereign fo r h o w can he be a F ather if he su ffers his

children t o be inj ured o r dra w n t o evil by any b eing Of far
,

superior p o w er wh o attacks them in a manner they kno w n o t

,

h o w wh o is ab out the i r paths and about their b ed and they ,

kno w i t not ; w ho m o n the left hand w here he doth work , ,

they cannot behold ; w h o hideth himself o n the right hand

that they cannot see him ? And h o w is Go d a Master if he ,

suffers another in declare d opposition t o him t o bring his

, ,

s ervants i nto subj ection t o turn them t o his will o r t o use

, ,

them despitefully ? Ho w is he the all powerful S overeign if -

another in declared opposition to him can harass and ruin

, ,

his subj ects can frustrate his intentions for their good and ,

intro duce disorder and m isery into his kin g d om ? O r where

is his p ower if he is under a necessity o fusing the p ower and
,

malevolence Of an evil b e ing and even his declared enemy

, ,

to punish his subj ects ? D oes he who as his prophet speaks ,

o fh im can
,
smite the earth with the ro d o fhis mouth and ,
’
slay the w icked with the breath o fhis lips stand in need o f ,

the assistance o fhis ene m y t o punish his rebellious subj ects

O r d oes he wh o knows all things from the beginning t o the end ,

n eed his aid to try their fidelity by temptations ? Will he

wh o has declared by his prophets that he will n o t give his
glory t o another enable a m alevolent being to d o as mighty
,

acts as himself ? fo r such and even m ightier hav e men and ,

even the learned attributed to the de vil Ho w is it possible

,
.

there should b e concord bet w een Go d and an evil being be ,

t ween the most perfect and adorable goodness and the extremest
and most detestable malignity ? If it be said that Go d do es
n o t assist o r enable this e v il b eing to do what he is supp osed

to do in the world but only per m its it the n it must follow that
, ,

he has the p ower in himself ; and if s o then it may b e asked , ,

which is Go d ? sinc e as is supposed they shew equal acts

, ,
3 40 G O AD BY E X P L A IN S THE T E MP TA TION OF CHR IS T .

c onseque n tly t ha t h e was under God s influenc e and guidance ’

.

In this state o fsoul Jesus passed through certain pictures o r ,

vivid states o f tho ught which represented as many trials

,

whi ch would beset h im in his public minist ry C o n t e m p l at .

ing the forec a st o fthese his coming peril s he learnt h o w with , ,

God s aid and the aid o fS c ripture t o put away the inferior
’

, ,

though full o f earthly promise and to accept the superior , ,

though full o fearthly pain contempt and even death He , , .

thus freely chose the better way In the lan guage o fthe day .
,

he owned Go d and repelled Satan In plain E nglish he in the .

,

greatest o fall issues rej e c ted evil and embraced good TO cite .

“
my author s o wn words ’
Why (it might have been sug
gested t o him ) instead o f spendin g your life in af
, fl iction and
then ending it upon the cross will yo u not use your power ,

fo r your o wn benefit and mak e yourself master o ft h e world ?

,

But this tempta t ion did n o t at any time prevail over o ur L ord ,

notwithstanding the desire o fhonour wealth and dominion is , ,

n atural to every hu m an mi nd and is with greater diffi culty

,

than any other subj ected t o the control o f reason and c o n

science and notwithstanding universal empire carries with it
charms almost irresistible especia lly t o noble and heroic minds
,

c onscious o ftheir superior wisdom and abilities and an in t en ,

tion to employ their power to the true ends fo r which it was

bestowed If an ything can heighten the v irtue o f despising
.

worldly greatness when it comes in competition with o ur duty ,

it is the bein g prac tised in circumstances o findigence An d .

therefore t o refu se as o ur S aviour did the offer o fgrandeu r and

, ,

royalty and universal empire while he was struggling with ,

p overty reproach and persecution in the cause o fGo d was the

, ,

highest act o fvirtue that humanity could exhibit This acco u nt .

o fthe temptation o fChrist obviates all the obj ections made t o

the co m mon interpretation and j ustifies the wisdom o fGo d in

,

this dispensation It is not a series o fexternal occurrences

.
,

so m e o fthe m absurd and impossible all o fthem useless and ,

improb able but an internal vision (like that o f the apostle

,

Peter Acts ,
and this is ascribed n o t t o a diabolical ,
 LE S S D IF F I C UL TY IN S C R IPT IR E,I LE S S S C E P TIC IS M . 3 41

but to a divi n e agency agreeably to its instructive and bene

fi ci al design and tendency The several scenes o fwhich it is
.

co m posed do each o fthe m contain a real trial suc h as occa ,

s io n e d a very bright display o fthe virtue and piety o fJesus .

If besides the probationary nature w e take into our account

, ,

the sy m bolical design o fthis vision it was a proper prepara ,

tion fo r tha t i m portant offic e with w hich Christ was n o w in

vested With what divine skill are the scenes of this vision
.

fra m ed so as to answer b oth these purposes I Wha t j u st

,

ground then do they afford for censure ? The account which

has been given ser ves to exalt the c h aracter o fChrist and to
”
confir m o ur faith in his divin e mission .

Mr Goadby also Shews in the same c onne ction h o w the

.

removal o fscriptural d ifli c ult ies ten ds t o les se n the prevalence

o fs c epticis m and unbe li ef Mos t true and important are his
.

words N in e tenths of ex isting do ubt and disbelief in regard

.
-

to Christianity are born and bred of an acceptance more or

less real and vivid o f m y personality Yes the very m e n .
,

that ought in their teachings to exhibit the religion o fJesus

in all its divine and hu man S i mplicity and acceptableness ,

obstru c t and prevent its spread by old wives fables begotten ’

o f ignorance and sup erstition And yet Christ said of h im

.

“
s elf ,
I a m the light o fthe w orld he that followeth m e shal l
”
not w alk in darkness but shall have the light of life ( Joh n
,

viii . Ho w can such an averm ent b e reconciled with

popery as depi c ted by P i o N on e in his r e c en t ly is s ue d S ylla bus
‘

in w hich he pronoun c e s a curse o n modern civilization — as

if that c ulture w ere n o t a blessing fro m t h e hands of D ivine
Providen c e bestowed in reward partly of opposition to R o m an
,

is m an d chiefly in repayment of m ental freedo m m oral in

, ,

t e g r i t y and personal energy and devotement such as have never

,

before been witnessed o n earth .

 '
3 42 DE P OE S GH O S T ST ORY

CHAP TE R VII .

EF FOR TS F OR M Y R E V IVA L : DE F O E, W E S LE Y AN D D ODDR ID G E .

THE seventeenth an d eighteenth cen turies witnessed a great

and rapid decline in the b eli ef o f my personal existence .

N o t however without serious opp osition was its demolition

, ,

to b e e ffected The professional min ister s o freligion whether

.
,

Papal or Protes tant had long b een ass ured that the interests
,

o f their faith and mi nistry were welded together with the

b elief in the various lines an d manners o f action ascribed

.

to m e in connection with alche m y necromancy apparitions , ,

and witchcraft Accor di ngly in their opin i on to contradi ct

.
, ,

these unrealities was t o endanger Christianity Hence ensued .

a new batch o f spiritualis tic falsities The tendency o f the .

p erio d is ill us trated by the trick pl ayed by the celebrated

D e F oe o n the credulousness o fhis age O ne D r D r eli n co ur t . .

had w ritten a treatise on D eath The subj e c t not o n e o fthe .

,

m ost attractive c onsigned t h e lucubrations o fthe pious au thor

,

to total neglect The sheets o fthe work lay a heavy burden

.

on the publisher s shelves But publishers have their re

’
.

so urces in cases o f a b ad invest m ent ; and might not a loss

be turned into a gain perhaps a considerable o n e if the , ,

p opular author o fR obinson Crusoe could be induced to write

a Preface to the heavy and cu m brous volume He undertook
the task and produced a g host story w hi ch was so simply
,

and naturall y told as to defy disbelief while in its tenor it ,

put to fli ght all the Obj ections taken by the active and daring
i n fi d el s o f the day to the existence of another and invisible
world The narrative is too characteristic o f the manner in
.

whi ch fro m being the offspring o f sp eculation fancy an d

, ,

fear I have become a divin ity to be omitted in t hi s my

, ,

N atural History .

A True R elation of the Apparition o fo n e Mrs Veal the .

,

next D ay after her D eath to o n e Mrs Barg r av e at Canterbury

,
.
, ,
 44 M RS . VE AL APPE L RS To M RS . BARGRAV E .

food nor clothing ; while M rs V eal wanted fo r both insomu c h .

,

‘
that she would often say Mrs Barg rav e yo u are n o t o n ly , .
,

the b est but the o n ly friend I have in the w orld ; and n o

,

circumstance o f life shall ever dissolve my friendship .

’

They would condole each oth er s adverse for t unes and read
’

t ogether D r elin c o urt upon D eath and other goo d books and ,

so, like t wo C hristian friends they comforted each o t her ,

under their sorrow S o m e time after Mr Veal s friends got

.
, .
’

hi m a place in th e Custo m house at D ove r which occasioned -

Mrs Veal by littl e and l ittle t o fall o ff from her inti m acy
.
, ,

with Mrs Bargrav e t hough there never was any su c h thing

.
,

as a quarrel but an indifferency c a m e o n by d egrees till at ,

last Mrs Barg ra v e had n o t seen her in two years and a half
.
,

though ab ove twelve m onth o f the time Mrs Barg rav e hath .

been absent frp m D over and this last half yea r has been in ,
-

C an t e rbu ry abo ut t wo m onths o f the ti m e d w elling in a ,

house o f her o wn In this house o n the eighth o f S epte m

.
,

b er o n e thousand seven hundred and five she was si t ting

, ,

alone in the fo r enoon think ing o v er her unfortunate life and

, ,

arguing herself into a due resignation to Providence though ,

‘ ‘
h e r c ondition see m ed hard And said she I have been ’

,
.
,

provided fo r hither t o and doubt not but I sh all be still and

, ,

a m w ell satisfied that m y a f fli ctions shall end whe n it is most

fit for m e and then took up her se wing work which she ,

had n o sooner done but she hears a kn o ckin g at the door ;

'

she w ent to see who was t here and this proved to _b e Mrs ,
.

Veal her Old friend who was in a riding habi t At tha t

, ,
.

moment o fti m e the clo c k struck twelve at noon Madam .

,
’

‘
says Mrs Bar gr av e I am s urprised to see y o u ; yo u have
.
,

b een so long a stranger but told her she was glad to see
her and offered t o salute her which Mr s Veal c omplied with
, , .
,

t ill their lips al m ost touched ; and then Mrs Veal drew her .

hand across her o wn eyes and said I am n o t very well , ,

and so waived it She told M rs Barg rav e she was going a

. .

j ourney and had a great m ind to see her firs t

,
But says ,
’

‘
Mrs Barg rav e ho w can yo u t ake a j ourney alone ? I am
,
.
 THE ST OR Y T OLD W ITH A TTE S TIN G C IR C U M S TA N C E S .

’
a m used at it be c ause I know you have a fond brother
,
.

O h says Mrs Veal I gave m y brother t h e slip and c a m e

,
’
.
,

a w ay be c ause I had so great a desire to see you before I took

,

m y j o u rney S o Mrs Bar g rav e w ent in w ith her into another

.
’
.

room within the first and Mrs Veal sat her do wn in an ,

.

elbow chair in which Mrs Barg ra v e was sitt ing w hen she
-
.

‘ ‘
heard Mrs Veal kno ck . Then says Mrs Veal m y dear .
,
’
.
,

friend I am co m e to rene w o ur o ld friendship again and beg

, ,

your pardon for m y breach of it and if you c an forgive m e ,

y o u are t h e best o fw o m en O h says Mrs B a r rav e

g do .
’

,
’
.
,

not m e ntion such a th ing I have not had an uneasy tho ught
about it ; I can easily forgive it IV h at did you t hi nk of .
’

‘
me ? says Mrs V e al f S ays M rs Barg rav e I t hough t you
’
. .
,

were like the rest of t h e w orld and t hat prosperity had m ade ,

you forget yourself and m e T h en Mrs Veal re m inded Mrs .

’
.
‘

Bar g r av e of the m any frien d ly offi c es she did i n her for m er

days and m u c h o ft he c onversation they had w ith ea c h other
,

in the ti m es o f thei r adversity ; w hat books t he y rea d and ,

what co m fort in parti c ular they received fro m D r elin c o u rt s ’

book o f D eath which w as the best she said on the subj ect
, , ,

ever wrote She also m entioned D r Sherlo c k and t w o D utch

. .
,

b ooks whi c h were translated wrote upon D eath and s everal , ,

others But D r elin c o u r t she said had the clearest notions

.
, ,

o fdeath and of the future state of any who had handled the
-

subj ect Then she asked M r s Bar g rav e w hether she had
. .

‘
D r elin co ur t ? She said Yes Said Mrs Veal ! F etch it ,
.
’
.
,
.
’

And so Mrs Barg rav e goes up stairs and brings it do

.

Says Mrs Veal D ear Mr s Barg rav e if the eyes of o ur

.
, .
,

faith were as open as the eyes of o ur body w e should see ,

nu mbers o f angels about us for our guard The notio n s we .

have o f heav en n o w are no thing like what it is as D relin ,

c ourt says therefore b e c o m forted under your affl i ctions and ,

b elieve that t h e Almighty has a particular regard to you and ,

that your affl ictions are m arks of God s fav o u and when ’

they have done the bus i ness they were sent for t hey shall ,

b e re m oved from yo u And b eli eve me m y de ar friend .

, ,
3 46 OT H ER “
G OOD B OOKS ,
RUT N ONE E Q U A L S D REL IN GOU RT .

believ e what I say t o yo u ; o n e minute o f futur e happin e s s

will infinitely reward yo u fo r all your su fferings F o r I c an .

never belie v e ( and claps her hands upon her knees with great
earn estness w hich indeed she did through most o f her dis
,

course ) that ever Go d will suffer yo u t o spend all you r d ay s

'

i n this af fl icted state But be assured that your suffering s .

shall leav e yo u o r yo u them in a short ti me She spake in .

’

that pathetical and heavenly manner that Mrs Bar g rav e wep t , .

several times she was s o deeply a ffected with it

, .

Then Mrs Veal m entioned D r K enrick s Ascetic at t h e

. .
’

end o f which he give s an account o f the lives o f the primi

tive Christians Their pattern she rec ommended t o o u r imi
.

t a t io n and said
,
Their conversation was n o t like this o fo ur
‘
ag e
. F o r now says she there is nothin g but vain frothy
, ,

d isc o urse which is far dif

,
ferent from theirs Theirs was t o .

e d ifi cat i o n and t o build o n e another up in faith s o that they

, ,

were n o t as we are n o r are we as they were But said she ,

.
,
’

we ought t o d o as they did there was a hearty frien d s hi p

a mong them but where is it n o w t o be found ? Says Mrs ’
.

Ba rg rav e ‘
It is hard indeed t o find a true friend in these
,

d ays .
’
Says Mrs Veal Mr N orris has a fine copy o fverses .
, .
,

c alled F riendship in Perfection w hich I wonderfully a dmire ,

.

Have yo u seen the book ? says Mrs Veal N o says Mrs

’
. .
,
’
.

‘
Barg rav e
’

’
but I have the verses o f my o wn writing o ut .

Have yo u ? says Mrs Veal ; then fetch the m which s he

’
.

did from above stair s and o ffere d the m t o Mrs Veal t o read , .
,

wh o refused and w aived the thing saying holding down h er

, ,

head wo uld make it ache an d the n desiring Mrs Barg r av e ,

.

t o read them t o her which she did As they were admiring ,

.

F riendship Mrs Veal said D ear Mrs Barg rav e I shall

,
.
,
.
,

love you fo r ever In these verses t here is twice used t he

.
’

word E lysian ‘
Ah says Mrs Veal these p o ets have such ’
,
.
,
.

names fo r heaven She would oft en draw her hand acros s

‘
her o wn eyes and say Mrs Bargrav e d o n o t yo u think I
, ,
.
,

‘
am mightily i mpai r ed by my fits N o says M rs Bargav e
’
.
,

‘
I t hi n k yo u look as well as ever I saw yo u After this .
’
3 48 M RS . V E AL D IE S ON THE S E V EN TH ,

in the street in the face o f the b east m arket o n a Saturday

,
-

( which is market day ) and stood ready to part as soon as -

Mrs Bargrav e came to her She asked her why she w as in

. .

s uch haste She said she must be going though perhaps

.
,

she m ight not go her j ourney till Monday ; and told Mrs .

Barg r av e she hop ed she w ould see her again at her cousin
Watson s before she w ent w hith er she wa s going Then she
’

, .

said she would take her leave of her and w alked from Mrs ,
.

Barg ra v e in her vie w till a turning interru pted the sigh t of ,

her ; whi ch w as three quarters after o n e in the afternoon .

Mr s Veal died the 7 t h of S epte m ber at t w elve o clock at

’
.
,

noon o fher fits and had not above four hours senses before
, ,
’

her death in w hich time she received the sacram ent The
, .

next day after Mrs Veal s appearance being Sunday Mrs .

’

, , .

Barg r av e w as m ightily indisposed w ith a c old and a sore

throat so that she c ould not go o u t that day ; but o n Monday
,

morning she sends a person to Captain Watson s to kno w ’

if Mrs Veal was there

. They wondered at Mrs Ba rg rav e s . .
’

inquir y an d sent her word she was not there nor was ex
, ,

p ec t ed At this
. ans w er Mrs B ar rav e told the maid she
g , .

had certainly mistook the na m e o r m ade so m e blunder An d ,

.

though S h e was ill she put on her hood and went herself to , ,

Captain Watson s tho u gh she knew none o f the fa mil y to ’

, ,

see if Mrs Veal w a s there or not They said they wondered

. .

at her asking for she had n o t b een in to wn they w ere sure

, ,

if she had she w o ul d have been there S ays Mrs Ba rgr av e

,
. .

I am sure S h e w as wit h me o n Saturday almost two hours .

They said it was i m p ossible for they m ust have seen her if ,

she had In co m es Captain Watson while they w ere in

.

disp ute and said tha t Mrs Veal w as certai nl y dead and the
,
.

escutcheons w ere making Thi s strangely surprised Mrs . .

Bar g rav e w hen she went to the p erson immed iately wh o had
,

the care o f the m and found it true Then she related t h e ,

.

w hole story to Captai n Watson s family and what gown she

had on and h o w s t riped and that Mrs Veal told her that it
, ,
.

‘
w a s scoured Then Mrs Watson cried o u t : You have seen
. .
 APP E A R S ON THE E IGH TH OF S E P TE MB ER . 3 49

her indeed ; for none kn ew but Mrs Veal and m yself that .

the gown was scoured And Mrs Watson o wned that she .
’
.

‘
described the go w n exactly for said she I helped her to ,
’
,

make it up This Mrs Watson blazed all about the to wn

.
’
.
,

and avou ched the de m o n stration o f the truth of M rs Bar .

’
grave s seeing Mrs Veal s apparition And Captain Watson
’
. .

c arried two gentle m en i mm ediately t o Mrs Bar gr av e s house

’

,
.

t o hear the relation from her o wn mou t h And when it .

spread so fast that gentlemen and p ersons o f quality the

, ,

ju dicious and sceptical part of the world flo ck ed in upon h e r , ,

it at las t became suc h a task that she was forced to go o u t o f ,

the way for they were in general extre m ely satisfied o f the
tru th o f the thing and plainly s aw that Mrs Barg rav e was
,
.

no hypochondriac for S he alw ays appears with such a c heer

,

ful air and pleas in g m i en that she has gained the favour and ,

estee m o f all the gentry and it is thought a great favour if ,

they can but get the r elation from h er o wn m outh I should .

h ave told yo u before that Mrs Veal told Mrs Bar g r av e that . .

her sister and brother in law were just come down from L on - -

don t o see her Says Mrs Bar gr av e Ho w cam e you to

.
‘
.
,

‘
order matters so strangely ? It could not be helped said ’

,
’

Mrs Veal And her brother and sister did co m e down to

. .

see her and entered the to wn o fD over j us t as Mrs Veal was

,
.

expiring Mrs Barg rav e asked her whether she would drink
. .

‘
s o m e tea Says Mrs Veal I do not care if I do but I ll
. .
,
’

warrant yo u this m ad fellow (m eaning Mrs Bar gr av e s hus .

’

band) has broke all your trinkets ‘

But says Mr s Bar .
’
,
’
.

grave I ll get so m ething to drink in for all

,
’
but Mrs .

Veal waived it and said It is no m atter let it alone and ,

so it passed All the tim e I sat with Mrs Barg r av e which

. .
,

w as some hours she recollected fresh sayings o fMrs Veal

, . .

And o n e m aterial th in g m ore she told Mrs Barg rav e that .

,

o ld Mr Bretton allowed Mrs Veal ten pounds a year

. .
,

which was a secret and unkno wn to Mrs Barg r av e till Mrs

, . .

Veal told her Mrs Barg rav e never varies in her story
. .
,

w hich puzzles those w ho doubt o fthe truth o r are unwilling ,

3 50 THE I RREL IG IO U S DEN Y THE A P PA R ITION .

to be liev e it A servant in the neighbour s yard adj oini ng t o

.
’

Mrs Bar grav e s house heard h e r talking t o someb ody an hour

.
’

o f the ti m e Mrs Veal w as with her Mrs Bargr av e wen t

. . .

’
o u t t o her next neighb our s the very moment she parted with
i

Mrs Veal and told her what a ravishing conversation she

.
,

h a d had w ith an Old f ri e n d f an d told t h e whole o f it D re .

lin c o ur t s book o f D eath is since this happened bought up

’
, ,

s tra n gely And it is t o be observ ed that notwithstanding

.
,

all the trouble and fatigue Mrs Bargrav e has undergone upon .

this accou n t she never took the value o f a farthing n o r suf

, ,

f e r e d her daughter t o take anything o fan ybo d y and ther efore

’

can have n o interest in tellin g the story .

But M r V e al doe s what h e can t o stifle the matter and

.
,

said he would see M r s Barg rav e but yet is it certain matter .

’
o ffact tha t he has been at Captain Watson s since the death

o f his sister an d yet never went near Mrs Bar g r av e

,
and .

s ome o fhis friends report her t o be a li ar and that she kne w ,

Of Mr Bret t on s ten pounds a year But the person who

.
’
.

pretends t o say so has the reputation o f bein g a notorious

liar among persons who m I know t o be o fundoubted credit .

N o w Mr Veal is more o fa gentle m an than t o say that she

,
.

lies but says a bad husband has crazed h er ; but she needs
,

o nly pr e sent herself and it will eff ectually confute that pre
,

t ence M r Veal says he asked his sister o n her death bed

. .
-

w he the r she had a mind t o dispose o f anything And she .

‘ N o w the things which Mrs Veal s apparition

s aid
’ ’

,
No . .

would have disposed o f were s o trifling and n othing but , ,

j ustice aimed at in the disposal that the design o f it appears ,

t o me t o b e only in order t o mak e Mrs Barg rav e s o t o .

demonstrate t h e truth o f her appearance as t o satisfy the ,

world o f the re ality thereof as t o what she had seen and ,

heard and t o secure her reputation among the reasonable and

,

understanding part o fmankind And then again Mr Veal .

, ,
.

o wns that there was a purse o fgold but it w as n o t fo und in

her c abine t but in a c o m b box This looks i m probable ; fo r
,
-
.

that M r s W at s o n o wned that Mrs Veal was s o very careful

. .
3 52 THE RE P OR TER KN O W S THE APPAR ITI ON T O BE A PAC T .

manner of fear and received her as a friend an d parted w it h

, ,

‘
her as su ch I w o uld not says she give one far thing to
.
,
’

m ake any one beli ev e it ; I have no in ter e t in it ; nothing s

but trouble is entailed up on m e for a long ti m e for aught I ,

kno w ; and had i t not co m e to light by ac c ident it w ould ,

never hav e b een made public But n o w she say s she w ill
.
’

m ake h er o wn private use of it and keep hers elf o u t of the ,

w ay as m uch as she c an and so she h as done sin c e She savs .

she had a gentleman w h o came thir ty m iles to her to hear t h e

relati on an d t hat she had told it to a roo m full of p eople at -

the tim e Several par t i cul ar gentle m en have had the story
.

fro m Mrs Bargr av e s o w n m outh

. .

“
This thi ng h as very m u ch affected m e and I am as well ,

satisfied as I a m of the b est grounde d m atter of fa c t And .

that w e shoul d d s put e matt er of fa c t be cause we cannot

i
,

solve things of whi c h we c an have n o certain or demons t rative

'
notions s ee m s stra n ge to me Mrs Bar gr av e s autho rity and
,
.

s in c er it v alone w o ul d have b een undoubted in any other

case .

There is the s tor y of Mrs Ve al s apparition told in full on

.
’

the b est vouchers and argum entatively ro u nde d o f f in ever y

“
p articular I ven t ure t o say that not any of the thousand and
.

”
one s t ories quoted t o prove m v personal existenc e c an bear
co mp arison wi t h t hi s for in t ernal prob abilit y and extern al
de m ons t ration Yet Mrs Veal s apparition i a kno w n fiction
. .
’
s

-
w hat else then can the o t her stories b e but collusions illu ,

sions or delusions In general t hey ar e m ade up of all three

, ,

of thos e deceptive influences If M rs V e al s apparition . .

a fancy then ghost s t ories and other devilisms are fanci e s

,

t oo . But the fir st is kno wn to b e such ; such consequently

are the se c ond .

B y a fan cy I mean a figment of the i magination set in

,

action by m orbid sentim ents of so m e kin d or other The .

morbid sentim ent in the Veal app arition w as desire to get a

li t erary fee The morbid sentiment i n m atters S atani c is a
.

c o m pound produc t of low religionism i ntense credul ity over , ,

 DEN Y IN G W ITCHC R A F T Is DEN Y IN G THE B IB LE ,
3 53

ridin g love o fwhat is called the Church and a pretty strong ,

infusion o fself interest D e F oe forged an apparition to put

-
“

m oney into his purse the priests forged me to sustai n th eir

priestis m The o n l y essential difference between the two is
.
,

that D e F o e kne w what he did and though t all whose opinion

,

he valued would kno w it as clearly as himself ; while the

priests know not o r but dimly kno w what they do and in
, , ,

their ignorance turn bigots fo r what is really an ei d o lo n of ’

their o wn brain and their o wn position As morals improve .

,

cheats like that palmed o ff upon the cred ulous will be co m e

impossible ; as in telligence spread s I s hall cease to be the ,

great patron o fthe Church And bad as I am I am not so

.
,

bad as n o t to b e will ing to decay and die fo r the sake of a

pure spiritual and disinterested religion
, .

However s o little did John Wesley understand the true

,

principles o f the religion o f Jesus and so overrun was h e ,

w ith the superstitious credul ity o fthe age that he protested ,

against the efi o rt s made in his day t o relieve the human

breast from the bugbear o fdevilry .

”
It is true like wise says Mr Wesley ,
that the English .
,

in general and indeed most o fthe men in Europe have given

, ,

up all ac c ounts o fwitches and apparitions as mere o l d wives ’

fables I am sorr y for it ; and I will ingly take this o pp o r

.

t un i t y o fentering my sole m n protest against this violent com

p l i m en t which so many that believe the Bible pay t o those

wh o do not believe it I o w e them no such service I take

. .

knowledge these are at the b ottom o fthe outcry which has

,

been raised and with such insolence spread thro ughout the
,

n ation in direct opposition not only to the Bible but to the

, ,

suffrage o fthe wisest and best o fmen in all ages and nations .

They w ell know (wh ether C hr istians kno w i t o r not) that the
giving up witchcraft is in effec t givin g up the Bible An d .

they know o n the other hand that if but o n e account o fthe

, ,

intercourse o f men wi th separate sp irits be ad mitted their ,

w hole cas t le in the air ( deism atheis m ma t erialis m) falls to

, ,

t he ground I kno w no reas on therefore why we should s uffer

.
, ,
3 54 ACC ORD IN G TO J O H N W E S LE Y .

e ve n this we ap o n t o be wrested o ut o f o u r hands In deed .

,

there are numero u s arguments besides whi ch abundant ly con

fute their vain imaginations But we need n o t b e hoote d o ut .

Ofo n e — neither reas on n o r religion requi re

Mr Wesley is n o t the onl y di sti nguished di vine that has
.

e ncouraged superstition without intending it and subs ta n ,

t iat e d my existenc e while endeavouring to undermin e my

throne Apparitions are said to arise fo r the very purp ose
.

o f promoting Christia n i ty Hence the remark able story o f .

Colonel Gardiner s conversion as related by D r D oddridge ’

, . .

” “
This memorable event says the pious writer happened , ,

toward the m id dl e o fJuly 1 7 1 9 The Colonel had spent t h e , .

even ing ( and if I mista ke n o t it w a s the Sabbath ) in so m e ,

gay company and had an unhappy assignation with a married

,

wom an whom he was to attend exactly at twelve The com

,
.

pany broke up about eleven and not j udging it convenient ,

to anticipate the time appointed he went into hi s cham ber to ,

kill the tedious hour perhaps with some amusing b ook or , ,

so m e other w ay But it very accidentally happened that he .

took up a religious book which his goo d mo t her o r aunt had ,

without his knowledge slipped into his portmanteau It was ,

.

called if I rememb er the title exactly The Chr istian Soldier

, , ,

o r Heav en taken by Storm and it was written by Mr Tho m as ,

’
.

Watson Guessing by the title o fit that he would find so m e

.

phrases o fhis o wn profession spiritualiz ed in a manner whi ch ,

h p g i q t d f m Sk t h ft h Phil phy fA pp i
T is a ssa e s uo e ro
“
e c es o e os o o ar

ti by S m l Hibb t M D wh well m k th
on s , a ue er I h
,
. .
,
o re ar s er eo n
“
av e

no th i w i q ti g t h f g i g p g f m M W l y w k
o er v e n uo n e or e o n as s a e ro r . es e
’
s or s,

th t
an h w t h pi i t with wh i h h
o s e d m y th
e s r t l y pi i di i c e, an an o er ru ou s n v

d l w
ua s, imp d wh th y wi h d t
er e i
r ess e t h b li f i
,
pp i ti
en e s e o r ev v e e e e n a ar on s ,

whi h w c i d tly b g i i g t l
as ev g d Th
en i t y th y m i
e nn n o os e r o un . e an x e e an

f t d t li t
es e t ll t i
o f s en p t l t o a g i
s o r es o t h t a su er n a ur a cas ,
s o on av e r s e o a os

of dy m
n ee w it wh g t
ro p
‘
w ll
an c e - t h tri t d gh
e rs , t t i o o u e -
au en ca e
’
os s or e s

as f t t h f thi k w
as as bl t w ll w th m B ut l t b
e ree - n ers er e a e o s a o e . e us e

th kful th t w li i
an g ( 1 8a2 4 ) w h t he t u t
ve h w h i h
n an a e t i d en e r s c a r e co n a ne

i t h H ly S i p tu
n e ee d
o d di ti l fi m ti f m p p iti
cr re n no a on a con r a on ro a ar on s .

Pp 4 5 7 4 5 8
.
,
.
3 56 L ORD H E R B ER T OF C HERBURY S
’
VIS ION .

The tran smis si o n o f t he st ory woul d n o t h av e bee n l es s .

s o l e mn an d e difying had the good D octor withhel d the blow

which he de al t agains t those w ho sho ul d thin k the pheno m ena

e xp l icabl e withou t in t ruding into t h e secret thi n g s o f Go d .

To imput e infide lity t o persons wh o dif fe r fro m yo u is n o t t h e

way t o promote Christian truth .

If the spirit o f t h e passag e is bad t he logic is n o t g o od ,

.

I f Christ appeared t o convert a soldier t o Protestantis m h e ,

h as ( s o R ome declares ) appeared again an d aga i n t o work in

monks and nuns religious changes o f o n e sort o r another .

N ay avowed unbelief is n o t without its mirac u lous attestation

,
.

Wh e n L ord Herbert o fCherbury doubted whether o r n o t he

s ho ul d publish his deistical boo k D e V er i t a t e p r o u t d is ti n ,

R & he too k the following expedient f

’

g u z t u r a ev ela t i on e c ,
.
,
o r

a scertaining his duty

“
On e fai r day in the summer my casement being open ,

toward the south I took my boo k D e V er i ta te in my hand

, ,

and kneeling o n my knees devoutly said these words ,

0 thou e ternal Go d Au thor o f the light which n o w

,

s hine s upo n me ,
and Giver o f all in ward ill uminat ion s I ,

d o beseech thee o fthy infinite goodness t o pardon a greater

, ,

r equest th a n a sinner ought t o make I am n o t satisfied .

e nough whether I shall publish this book D e V er i t a t e : if it

be f o r t h y glory I beseech thee give me some S ign fro m

,

heaven 5 if n o t I shall suppress it

,
.

“
I had n o sooner spo k en these words but a loud th ough , ,

yet gentle n ois e came fr o m the heavens ( fo r it was like n o

,

thing o n e arth) which did s o comfort and cheer me that I

, ,

t ook my p etition as gr anted and that I had the sign demanded ; ,

whereupon also I resolved t o print my book This h o w .

,

strange soever it may seem I prote s t before the eternal Go d ,

is true 5 neither am I any way superstitiously deceived herein ,

since I did n o t only clearly he a r the voice but in t h e serenest ,

sky that ever I saw being without all cloud did t o my think
, , ,
”
ing see t h e place from whenc e it came
,
.

It wo ul d h ave been m o re satisfactory t o others had hi s lord

 NAS H T A KE S L IB ER TIES W ITH S ATA N . 3 57

“
ship repo rted the words ( if any ) which the gentle noise
conveyed Inarticula t e sounds d o n o t s a y much U n c o n
.
“

s c ious credulity is the m ost extre m e s t ate o fthe disease In .

so rank a soil as that o f the mind o fWesley D oddridge

“

, ,

Herbert I may well have grown from a fancy and a drea m

,

in t o a person and a fiend especially when my impersonation ,

was fav oured by the conscious craftiness o fa D e F o e .

CHAPTE R VIII .

I AM BEC O ME AN OBJE GIL O F ’

DER IS ION .

T H ERE is in human nature an i nherent contempt fo r what

’

is base Accordingly men have almost in all ages taken

.
,

liberties with m e If m a certain way this does credit t o

.

hum anity it works my ruin What is laughed at b eco m es

, .

contemptible and what is despised c ontains the seeds o f its

,

o wn dissolution O nly goodness in this u niverse possesses

.

the attribute o f everlastingness An il lustration o r t wo o f .

this undermining influence will give additional firm ness t o

the logical structure I am here building up Th ese instances .

w ill b e none the wors e ifthey are taken from points some
wha t distant from each other .

In the sixteenth c entury when a fresh bre ath was coming ,

over E urope there lived in E ngland o n e Thomas N ash

,
“
,
”
wh o writes himself Gentle m an This scholar and penman .
,

being more skilful in spending money than m aking it be ,

thought him o f applying to me as the source whence many

drew great treasures who w ere n o more moral than hi mself
, ,

an d yet as did he vibrated constantly between contempt and

, ,

fear in regard t o m e Yes , he would put o ut a book de di

.

c at e d t o me in which he would set the timid wits a la u ghi ng

,

at my expense and so obtain readers and thereby repair hi s

, ,

shattered fortunes Accordin gly under the name o f P ierce

.
,
3 58 HIS P E TITIO N -
TO S ATA N .

Pen ile ss e, he writes His Supplication to the D evil de ,

scribing t h e ouer sprea din g o fVice and the suppression o f

-

Vertue 5 pleasantly in t erlac d with variable D elights and p a ’

thetically inter m ixt w ith c o n c eip t e d Repr o o fes L ondon : Im .

printed by Richard Jhones dwelli n g at the Signe o fthe R ose ,

and C r o wn e Ho lbur n e Bridge,

The author describes ,

himself and his obj ect as follows

Op us and Us us are knocking at my do or twenty times a
w eek when I am not w ithin 5 the m ore is the pitie that such
a franke gentle m an as I should want 5 bu t since the dice d o o
runne so v n t o ward ly o n my side I am p artly provided o fa ,

remedie F o r whereas those that s t and most o n their honour

.

shut v p their purses and shift vs o ffw i t h court holly bread 5

,
-

and o n the other S ide a nu mb er o fhyp o crit icall h o t spurre s

,
-
,

th at have God al waye s in their mouthes w ill give nothing ,

for God s sake 5 I have clapt v p a handsome supplication to

’

the D i uell and sent it by a good fello w that I know will

d eliver it .

Having thus introduced to yo u my petitioner I S hall re ad ,

to yo u what there is in his petition which bears o n the treat

m ent I rec eive at his hands
And because yo u may bel e ev e me the better I care n o t ,

if I a c qu aint yo u with the circ umstan c e I was informed o f .

la yt e dayes that a certaine blinde re t ayle r called the D iu ell , ,

used t o lend m oney upon p a wn es o r anie thing and would let ,

o n e have a thousand p o u n d e s v pp o n a statute merchant o fhis

soule ; o r if a man plyd e him thr oughl y w ould trust him ,

v ppon a bill o f his hand without anie more circumstanc e , .

Besides he was noted fo r a pr iuie benefactor to t rayt o rs and

parasites and t o ad uan c e fo o le s and asses farre sooner than
,

anie 5 t o b e a g r e e d ie purs u er of newes 5 and s o famous a poli

t ic ia n in purchasing tha t Hel which at the begi n ning was
, ,

but an obscure village is n o w become a huge cit ie wh er ev n t o

, ,

all c o u n t r eys are tributarie .

“
S h a k es p ear e S o c i et y R e p r i n ts , by J . Pa y ne C ollier, Esq .
,
ES . . A
.

L on d on ,
1 842 .
3 60 TRY W E S TMIN S TER H A LL ,
TR Y THE E XCHA N G E .

quoth he stripling ( an d then he cought ) I saw h im not latel y

, , ,

nor kn ow I certain l y where he ke ep es 5 but thus much I

heard by a broker a friend of mine that hath had so m e , ,

dealings wit h hi m in hi s ti m e that hee is at home sick of the ,

goute an d will not b e sp oken wit h all under more than thou
,

art able to gin e s ome two o r three hundred an gels if thou

, ,

hast anie sui te to him 5 and then p erhaps hele s t rain e cu rt esie
with his legges in child bed and co m e forth and talk with -

thee 5 but other wise n o n es t d o m i— h e is busy with Mammon

and the Prince of the N orth ho we to build v p hi s ki n g d o m e , ,

or sending his S prites abroad to v n d er min e the m align ers o f

’
h is government .

“
I hearing o fthis o olde co mfort tooke my lea ve Of him
, ,

very faintly and like a careless malcontent that kn ewe not

, ,

which way to tur ne r et yr e d me to Paule s to s e eke my di n ner

,
’

with D uke Humfrey 5 but when I w as there the olde s o ul d io ur

w as not up He is long a rising thought I 5 but that s all
.
,
’

one 5 for he tha t hath no money in his purse must go dine ,

w ith Sir John Best be trust at the S igne of the Chalke and - -

Post .

Two hungry turnes had I scarce fetcht in thi s was t gallery ,

when I was encountered by a neat p ed an ti c all fell o w in form

o fa c it t iz e n wh o thrusting him s elf
,
e abruptly in t o my c o m
,

p anie b eg an to question w ith mee about the cause o fmy dis

,

‘
content I d is co ur st to him the whole o fmy care
. Why .
’

( q uoth he ) had I been p r i v i e to your purpose I could have ,

easd you of thys t rau ell 5 fo r ifit b e the d euill yo u s eeke for ,

kn ow I am hi s man ‘
I pray sir how m ight I call you 2 .
’

, ,
’

“
A K night o fthe Post quoth he for so I am t e arm e d 5 a , ,

fell ow that will s w ear e you ani e thin g for twelve pence 5 but
indeed I am a spir ite in nature and essence that t ake upon ,

this humaine shap e only to s et men together by the e ar es , ,

and se n d soules by m ill ions to hell .

’

“
N o w trust mee a substantial trade 5 but when doe you
, ,

A K n i gh t of t h e P os t was a p er s o n wh o r ec e iv ed y
m on e for gi vi n g
b il f
a or a d bte or o r o th e p ar ty in
r c us o td y .
 N A S H S H E W S L AB OURED RE S P E C T TO S ATA N . 3 61

send next to your master 2 Why every day 5 for there is

’

not a corm orant that dyes or cut purse that is h an g d but

,
-
’

I dispat c h letters by his soule to him and to all m y friends ,

in the low c o u n t r eys 5 wherefore if you have anie thing that

,

y o u would have transported give it me and,

I wi ll see it ,

d elivered
’
.

Yes marry have I a c ert ayn e supplication here to your

,

m aster w hich you m ay perus e if it please yo u With that ’

, .

he opened it and rea d as followeth

To the High and M ight i e Prince o f D arkn e s s e ,

D o n s ell dell L ucifer K ing o fAcheron S t yx

, ,

and Phle g e t o n D uke o f Tart ary Mar

, ,

quesse o f Co cytus and L ord High ,

R egent o f L ymbo his di stres sed ,

O rator Pierce Pe n il es s e w ishe t h

, ,

encrease o fdamnation and ,

malediction eternal per ,

Jesum C hris t um D o
minum N ostrum .

Most hum bly s u et h unto your s in fuln es s e your single ,

s o ul d orator Pierce Pen il es s e 5 that whereas your i mpious

,

ex c ellence hath had the p oore t en n emen t o fhi s p urse any tim e
this halfe ye er e fo r your d au n cin g schoole and he hath r e ,

c ei v e d no peny nor crosse for farme it may please yo u r grace ,

lesse Maj est ie t o give order to your servant Avarice he may

b e dispatched 5 i nsomuch as n o man heere in L ondon c an
have a d aun cin g schoole without rent and his W i t and knavery ,

cannot be maintained with n othing O r if t hi s b e n o t s o .

,

plausible to your honourable infern als hip i t might seem good ,

to your h elh o o d t o make extent upon the so ul es o fa number

o funcharitable c or m orants who having i n c u r d the d au n g e r o f
,

a p r aemun ir e with meddling with matters that properly con

cerne your o wn e p erson deserve no longer to liv e ( as men )

,

amongst men bu t to b e incorporated in the society o fdi v els

,
.
3 62 S A TA N TO LERA TE S H ERE S Y

By which meanes the mighty c o n t r o uler Of fortune and im

er io u s subverter Of destiny deli c ious gold the po ore man s
’

p , ,

o d and i d o ll o f princes m ight at leng t h b e restored t o hi s

g , ,

p o werfull monarchie and eftsoon bee set at liberty t o helpe

, ,

his friends that have neede o fhi m .

’

Atheists triumph and r eio yc e and talke as p r o ph an ely o f ,

t h e Bible as Beius o fHampton

,
I heare say the r e be ma .

t h e m at ician s abroad that will p r o o u e men before Adam 5 and -

they are harb oured in high places wh o will m ain t ayn e it t o ,

the death that there are n o d iu ells .

It is a shame (S enior Belz ibub) that yo u s ho uld e su ffer

o ur s elfe thus t o b e t earm e d a bastard o r n o t ap p rove t o
y ,

your predestinate children n o t only that they hav e a father ,

’
but that yo u are hee that must o wn them .

It is saide L awrence L ucifer th at yo u went v p and down e

, ,

L ondon crying like a lanterne and candle man I m er uaile .

no lau n d re s s e would gine the washing and starching o fyour

face for your labour for Go d knowes it is as blacke as t he ,

Blacke Prince .

“‘
It is suspected yo u haue been a great tobacco taker in -

our youth which causeth it t o come s o to pass e 5 but D ame

y ,

N ature your nurse ,! was partly in fault else S h e might have

, ,

re m edied it She S hould haue n o yn t e d your face ouer with

.

la c vi r g i n is which bak e in g upon it in bed till the mor ni ng

, , ,

she m ight haue p ild Offthe scale like the skin o fa custard 5
and making a posset Of vergis mixt with the oyle o fTartary
and cam phire and bat h d e it in it a quarter o fan houre 5 and
,

o u had been as faire as the fi o ur e o fthe frying pan

’

y
-
.

I d o n o t doubt ( D octor D iuell) but yo u were present in

the action Of Phi lip o fS pain e and helpt t o bore holes in s hi p s ,

r
llhe r ea d l h
er l
wi l th t t h E dit i
e n ce earn a e or s n ot wi th o ut ly ear co u n

t en an c e i n hi tt m pt t xpl d t h g lli g
s a e o e o e e r ov e n an d db i
e as n g f bl a e o ft h e

.d il
ev as a r o y lp
a g ig i g
e rs on a m i m gi
e re n n o v er s o e a n ar y bt
su e r ra n e a n a by ss .

H er e , g i t h E dit fi d
a a n, exp t d g or n s un e ec e a r ee m en t wi th v ie ws wh i h
c

he gi v es in th ly p g fthi b k
e ear a es o s oo .
3 64 “
THE CHAP D ID THE OU D
’

an d disgrac e wise men and alter their fauo r s in tur ning o fan,

eye as F ortune turns her wh e el e so v n d e r the p e rson Of this ,

olde Grat h o n ic all compa ni on called the D iu ell we shr owd all
s ubt le t ie maskin g v n d er the name o f s im licit i e all painted
, p
h o lin e s devouring wi d o we s houses all gray headed foxes clad ,
-

in sh e ep e s g ar ments S O that the D iu ell ( as they m ake it ) is

,

onely a pestilent hu mour in a m an o fple as ure profit o r p olicie , , ,

that violently carries him away to v an itie vill an ie o r m o n , ,

strous

I have long been sensible o fa rapid decline I feel gro w .

ing chilly In m y extremities The free z ing hand o fdeath is .

moving near my heart In this condition I n o t long since p aid .

a visi t to the north eas t p arts o fL an c ashire The L ancas hire

-
.

lads and l assies are fond o fa j oke and their j o k es are not seldom ,

some w hat rough and practical As I wandered up and down .

,

c atching every n o w and then a sight o f my emaciated form

as reflected from this piece Ofwater and that I fo und myself ,

so m ewhat pensive in the thought o f my manifest decay 5

w hen proceeding from the river side up a gently as c ending
bank I saw a sign board bearing the words THE D E EL UP ON
,
-

,
’

"
D UN What have w e h er e Z said I The S ign is to me a
. . .

m ystery I will enter and inqui re what it mea n s O rdering

. .

refres hment by way o fintroduction I asked my host Wh at , , ,

s ir,
does yo ur S ign mean 2 ”
O he replied i t s only a
“
,
”
,
’

bit o fa j oke The chap di d the o u d

. Who s the o u d ’ ’ ’

”
on
’
2 What dinna ye know that 2 Where were ye born
,

an d bred z
"
W hy the o u d o n is the devil for sure
.
,
And ’ ’
.
”

who s the chap 2

’
His nam e were N icholas Gosford
’ ”
.
”

“ ” ”
Wil l ye tell m e the tale 2 I di nna mind The lan dl ord .

c omplied and I take leave to put his L anc ashi re in to o rdin ary
,

E nglish .

Th e E d it o r is p rou dt o fin d hi s o wn vi ew of t h e h u man p ar en a t ge of

S at an c on fi r me d as e ar ly as AD . . 1 5 92 .
 PA DD Y G O S F ORD A ND S ATA N . 3 65

THE D E EL U P O N
’
D UN .

Paddy Gosford w as a tailor by trade and in times gone ,

by occupied the house there o n the bridge N i cholas w as .

honest for he c abbaged only a quarter o fthe cloth entrusted

,

to hi m and good natured 5 but like many o f that sort he

,
-

, ,

liked a drop o fdrink The money whi c h S ho ul d have s up .

plied him and his family with the necessaries Of life never
could get past the door o fthis house then c alled the Black Cat , ,

so that N icholas w as for the most part miserably p oor O ne .

,
—
evening as he wi th some o fhi s pot companions was in that ,

chimney c orner a stranger was announced He was bronzed by

,
.

t ravel and indeed he had seen much o fthe world for m any
, ,

were the wonderful tales he told the villagers In co urse o f .

c onversation he mentioned a youn g m an o f L ow e r Saxony

who had gained i m m ense riches through the devil and he ,

talked much o f the incantations that had been used in t h e

transaction o f the business The stranger s words appeared .
’

t o strike Paddy greatly f o r he dropped many mysterious hints ,

about them aft erwards The next mor ni ng but o n e taking .

,

a dvantage o fhis wife s absence at a neighb our s he perfor m ed

’ ’
,

the magical Operation 5 when forth wi t h the tempter stoo d

before him with t wo attendant i mps With a terrifi c vo ice .

O ld Nick asked N icholas what he w anted with him

’
N0 .

’
thing n othing sir replied the tailor sh u d d er1n g from t o p
, , , ,
-

‘
to to e .N othing ? What 1 am I to come all the w ay fro m
ho m e t o this petty plac e for nothing ? Yo u do n ot kno w Mr ,
.

Snips whom you have sent for 5 but I will let you feel that I
,

a m n o t t o be t r ifi e d w ith Pardon me great sir exclai med .

’

, ,
’

‘ ’
Paddy falling on his knees Well then w hat do you w ant ?
,
.
, ,
’
I o nly thought you d aid m e a bit in the m o n ey w ay ’
Well .
,

what price w ill you pay Pri c e ? I m very poor your rever ’

‘ ‘
en c e Your so ul s yo u r o wn ? Well I though t so once
’ ’ ’
.
, ,

but I m turned Catholi c and I fan c y my soul belongs to the m

’

‘
Whalley priests N O j eering Paddy 5 this is a serious matter
.
’

,
.

—
N

N o w if you will sell m e your s o ul I will m ake you ri c h as ,

.

rich as you m ay wish It s a bargain your honour .

’
L ook ’

,
.
’
3 66 THE FE A T or ARM S BE TW E EN . THE TW O .

ye then 5 I wil l give yo u p ower to get as much money as yo u

,

like Whatever you or your w ife may wi sh for first after yo u

.

meet yo u shall have o n the expres s condition tha t you give

, ,

m e your soul t wenty years after the bond is delivered to me

‘
signed with your o wn blood It s a bargain your honour .
’ ’

,
.

Twenty years I won t I have a j olly t ime of it I T wenty years ! ’

twe n ty years 1 ’

‘
“
B y and by M r s Gosford returned home What make s . .

you so ligh t hearted Paddy said S h e F aith an d ye ll kn o w

-
, .
’

‘
in time 5 but c e rtainly I m hungry You shall ha ve your ’

tea The tea was made ready and put o n the t able
.
’
I don t .
’

like thi s brea d 5 it s very dry I w ish I h ad a backstone of

’
.
’

m y o wn Pad 5 wo ul dn t I m ake cakes you d like ? A good ’ ’ ’

backstone w as forthwith put on the fire by an invis ible hand .

‘
O n hearing th ese words Paddy i nfuriated exclaimed Woman , , , , ,

w hat did you say ? I w ish the b ackstone were broken i nto
a thousand pieces 1 Broken it w as alm ost ere the wish w as ’

fairly o u t o fhis m ou t h The w ily husband then thoug ht he .

had better tell the w hole t o his wife as he had o n l y o n e w ish ,

left Mrs Gosford o n hearing th e m atter bade the rep ort er

. .
, ,

go and consult the Prior o fWhall ey N o ye see I ll not do .

, ,
’

that 5 they d burn m e for having to do wi th the devil 5 and it s

’ ’

better to go to hell i n t w enty years than at once The next .

’

morni n g Paddy got up in an ill humour He an d h is mi s -

.

tress had some words for S h e did not like his de alings with
’
,

S atan Paddy lost his self p ossession an d hi s me m ory there

.
-

with and having to go to the Hall that morni ng to me asure

,

Sir Hum phry he suddenl y said I must shave 5 h o w I wish

, ,

I had a can of hot water 1 A can was straightway placed on ’

the table That mom ent his recollection retur ne d and h e

.
,

ex c laimed It s all over with the money ,

— an d w ha t s w orse
’

,
’

it s all over with me 1 NO no Paddy replied his thought

’ ’
, , ,
’

ful w ife 5 go and cons ul t the Her m it o fPendle you kno w

you once saved his life After discharging his duty at the .
’

Hall Paddy hastened to consult the Her m it who said It is

, , ,
’
a b ad case Paddy and you re a fo ol for your pains 5 but give
, ,
 68 S AT A N A ND TIM B OBB IN .

L it t l e ple as e d wi th a spo t where I had suf fer e d s o dee p a

humiliation I winged my way t o R ochdale 5 why I hardly
, ,

know e xcep t that chang e o f locality was relief o f m i nd

, .

Arrived there I w e nt in t he evening fo r a walk through its

,

n o t ve r
y e legant streets Coming t o a boo k stall I
. stoppe d -

a n d ran m v er it dingy treasures I t fell an

y ye e o s o n .

e ngra v e d po rtrai t o fTi m Bobbin wh o from certain sy mb ols , ,

a t the botto m o f the picture I found t o be a quizzical s o n o f ,

t he brush I t o o k the volume into my hand and runn i ng

.
, ,

t h rough its c o ntents came near the end o n these words,

To Mr R obert Gordon .

in Salford ,

Wit h the Picture Of t he D evil o n Horseback .

Well ! though t 1 5 this looks very lik e Pad d y s tale over ’

a gain I ll read it I t ran thus

.
’
.

Milnrow April 8 th 1 7 6 0
—
, , .

S i r Whe n I began t o form the design o f o ld Be lz e e o n

,

horsebac k which yo u and your N e wcastle friend ordered I

, ,

repented I had n o t inquired what sor t o f a d evil yo u would

have 5 i e whether yo u wo uld have a blac k o r a red devil a s
. .
,

white green yellow o r blue according t o all authors are o u t

, , , ,

o f the question 5 and also what colour o f a horse 5 and w h e

ther if he rid o n a mare it would not do as well But thes e ,

.

n ec essary queries being unfortunately neglected I have been ,

o bliged t o guess at the whole and have n o w finished t he ,

’
piec e presuming you ll n o t be so ungenero u s as t o tur n it o n
,

my h ands becau se I be li eve it will suit n o other person al ive

,

but your whimsical friend .

If w e can believe most authors ancient an d modern , ,

c lergy and laity there are many legion s o f these awkward

,

S pirits some o f which g o about and roar like lions yet

, ,

though there are such incredible num bers and yell s o loud ,

you canno t i m agine h o w I stood sta ring with the chalk In m y

hand being quite nonplused when I began t o hunt fo r an
,

idea as havi n g never seen t he least gli mpse Of any o n e o fthem

,
.
 3 69
’
TI II BORE IN S D EYIL ON HORS E BAOK .

But reme mbering that old L u cifer m ight be a c hild of so m e

m an s fancy in ti m e s of yore I d i d not long he s it ate but
’

, ,

thought I h ad as go od authority as any o t her mortal to m ake

a devil Ofm y o w n .

S o I fell to it a n d dre w out my de sign whi ch please d m e

, ,

tole r ably we ll .

“
But al as ! w hen I ca m e t o the colour ing part I was
, ,

entire ly gravelled not kno wing w hat c olour to m ake his gal
,

loper Here I had thoughts of annihilating m y whole design

.
,

a n d giv ing up all th oughts of procee di ng 5 bu t suddenly

‘
r ecollectin g that I had hea rd Ol d folks t alk of The D evil
upon D un I gave a j um p as thinki ng I had cleared the m ost
,
’

knotty point 5 but alas t w o cir c u m stanc es soon quas hed thi s
,

sudden j oy O ne w as w hether this d u n m ust b e a horse or a

.
,

mare or a gelding 5 and the other w hether it mus t be a fat

, ,

o r a lean nag But not re m e m be rin g an y author t hat had

.

ever wrote on thes e abstrus e p oi nts I re s olved t o guess at

_
,

the m 5 and ac c ordingly have not o n l y m ade hi m a d un but a ,

s prigh t ly able dun horse 5 be c ause it i s agreed on all sides

, ,

that he goes with surprisin g expeditio n especiall y when ,

e m pl oyed by cour t la di es in their gallantries t heir husb ands ,

in a m o ur s o r ministers of state in all treaties w hi ch tend to

,

faith breaking leav i ng their all ies in a quagm ire or robbin g

-

, , ,

rui gn i n o r sei ng the ir n eighbo u rs t errit ories

z i — and so m u c h- -
’

fo r the horse .

As for the devil his j o ckey of whom I hi n t ed before that

, ,

I could n o t tell W hether to m ake hi m ride in red or black I ,

have taken a m etho d to obviate all obj ections and m ade him
ride in both In short he h as the horns of a S c o t c h bullock ,

i n hi s head 5 a dr agon s tail 5 a negro s hands and face 5 a

’ ’

lady s scar let capu chi n o n hi s head and sho ul ders 5 a rake s
’ ’

fl es 5 a p e r s o n s coat 5 a b eau s bree c he s 5 a tailor s g a

’
ruf ‘
’ ’

m as hes 5 a j o ckey s whi p 5 and a law yer s sad dl e S o if this

’ ’
.

horse an d this j o ckey w ill not please your fantasti c al friend ,

you may tell him when yo u w ri t e to him that I ll never pre ’

3 70 S A TA N OV EROOHE BY R AILLER Y .

tend t o paint a spirit again whi lst I remain ( as I hope I ever

sh all) ,
Sir your most &c , ,
.
,

TIM B O BB IN .

This subtle raillery finished my resolution In retiring .

fro m business I must relieve my character o fo n e stain thro w n

,

o n it by Mr Bobbin . I confess that I have worn the several

.

liveries he has dressed m e in 5 but for what he says as t o

—
treaty mongers no I have never sunk so low as that 5 not
-

but I might h ave done had I been tempted by certain g reat ,

diplo m atists Of this m y dying hour w h o have la t ely been ,

busy in robbing ruining and seizing their neighbours ter

,
’

r it o r ie s 5 but in truth they had no need o f my aid being

, , ,

fully equal o f themselves t o their atrocious plun d e rin gs and

br u tal d evastations .

The free d o m s taken with m e by the las t m entioned w riter -

and artist are far surpassed by a devotee Of the quill and the
bru sh Of very recent days I ha v e fallen into the hands o f .

George Crui kshank and h is sarcastic playfellows By the m .

I am stri pt o f my maj esty and held up us a laughing stock ,

-

t o t h e w orld I am however greatly indebted to t hem for

.
, , ,

they write and paint in such a way as t o thro w my mor tality

into fullest a n d s h aI p es t I eli ef Who ever p eI us e S The R eal .

D e v il s Walk
’ ”
The D evil s Visit
,
O ld Booty can ’

,
’

n o longer doubt tha t thousands and tens o f thousands in the

highest walks o f l ife present my character an d in a measure , ,

my form with all its hum an faili n gs and few o f its hu m an

,

virtues b efore the eyes of the w orl d every p assing day In

, .

deed these m y hu m anities as I m ay term them are s o truly

, , ,

Satanical in the bad sense o f the word that I have been

'

s m itten with the fear whether after all I can lay down my , ,

sceptre t o any good e ffect S O long as there are so m any pre ,

pared t o take it up and sway it perhaps more t yr an ically

than I have done m yself .

L on d on : K id d , 6 , Ol d B on d S tr eet , 1 8 3 0 , 1 8 3 1 . S ee al s o L an d ’
s e er s

Illu t ti
s ra on s of B urn s ’ “
A d d r es s t o t he D e il
’

; an d G . C r uik s h an ks
’

G tl m
en e an in B l a ck .
3 72 AOON Z IO S S
’
C OUR G E F OR THE P R IE S TS .

A conte m porary Of L uther s Aconzio surpassed that great man ’

both in principle and practice TOO liberal fo r Italy he left .

,

his native land and found a fostering home under your E nglis h
Q ue en E lizabeth A greater honour . she did not gain Pro .

c ee d in
g on the great an d widely rea c hing principle that every -

individual is ans w erable to God in religious m atters he gave ,

bold and emphatic utterance to ideas which contain the ger m s

o f the ecclesiasti c al and religious reforms w hich ha v e b een

effected since the age in which he lived and whi c h re m ai n ,

to be completed in co m ing years S O thoroughly is this state .

me n t true that the reader of the book is involuntarily led to

,

t hin k o fJesus when page after page he meets with i d eas equall y
‘

, ,

strange t o th at period and equally true lofty co m prehensive , ,

and b enign With characteristic consistency t h e learned

.
, ,

liberal and truly Christian author carries the popular d o c

trine Of Satanic in fluence o ut to its full application The .

ec clesiastics are n o t exe m pt from m y influence any more than ,

other human b eings Indeed they have vices pec u liarly thei r
.
,

o wn ,
and against these in relation to the m selves and t o thei r
,

dis c iples he utters a v oice o f sob er truth and earnest a d mo

,

n it io n Indeed he reproves and fl o gs vic e as vic e sparing

.
, ,

neith er m itre co wl nor crown and uttering denunciations

, ,

the most severe o n all whether Catholic o r Protestant w h o , ,

”
point to heaven and lead the w ay to hell Viewed in this .

light the book is a scourge for the priests even more than f
,
or

the laity The rights and liberties o f the latter indeed he

.
, ,

specially espouses and defends never seeming more at home ,

than when h e sets forth the great positive and ever endurin g ,
-

principles and doctrines which constitute the religion o fJesus

in contradistinction t o the religion o f the Churches The .

entire volume filled w ith the genuine spirit o fprophecy is a

, ,

voi c e o fw arnin g after the manner Of the foll owin g which is

, ,

trans late d from its termination

W o e t o yo u wh o bent solely o n your o wn fame and dignity
,

and the good opinion o f the vulgar in order t o obtain the ,

position o f gods o n earth despise affl ict and oppress your , ,

 AOO N Z IO
’
S S C OUR G E F O R THE P R IE S TS . 3 73

brother men and usurp do minion over their consciences thus

, ,

surrounding their cities with Satan s po wer and building ’

strongholds o n its be h alf Woe I say to you 5 w o e w o e ! .

, , ,

What fearful pun ishm ent aw aits you in the great day Ofretri
bu t i o n N or d o I say this to the high priests of R ome alone -

—the cardinals and men o f that sort 5 for what else w ould it
be than t o lose m y labour ? To the m also I say it wh o I ,

hope have still ears to hear 5 w h o whil e professing to lo v e

, ,

Christ are assailed by Satan w ith such subtlety as to fan c y

,

they have no need o f o ffering him Opposition L et each of .

t h em b e o n his guard R ome is not the sole birthplace o fthe

.

Pope 5 he derives hi s origin fro m o ur parents 5 not o n e o fus

but carries a pope In his o wn breast sure to she w his fa c e ,

a n d power o n the first opportunity unless the ponti f f opposes ,

the design and contrives to extric ate him self from the peril .

Woe to the m iserable man wh o tells of the great nu mber o f

the dam ned yet for ge s how m uch he has c o n tributed to their
,
t

d estru c tion it m ay be in ignoran c e it m ay be (w o e to him

, ,

aft er due ad m onition Ho w I ask can su c h an one endure the ,

terrible m aj esty o fthe L ord s eye w hen he stands before his ,

j udg m ent bar ? YVh at then will b e his thought ? his feelin g ?
-

his fear ? Bid adie u then m y brethren to a m bition to pre

, , , ,

tension to anger to ani m osity to s t rife to discord L et Chris t

, , , ,
.

—
be the e n d o fall o ur desires and endeavours C hrist and the
glory of his nam e L et us shake o ff that mortal torpor by
.

which w e are blinded again st the snares that are set against
“

us N o r let any o n e take credit for being already in harbour

.
,

w hile others still at sea need pre c au t ion s

,
I repeat what I ,
.

said but now that whoever reasons thus with him self is either
,

c lose upon a pitfall o r a c tually in o n e F or w hose speech is this .

but that of Satan wh o persuades m en that they are m ost safe

,

when they are In the greatest peril and pro mises p eace when ,

he m eans war ? Take c are Ofthys elf my brother Consider ,

.

w h o thy assail an t i s The m ore thou s e e m es t to gain po w er

.

over him the m ore b e thou o n thy guard The greater thy
,
.

c o n fi d ence t h e grea t er must t h lo wliness be and the more

, y ,
3 74 HIS A D M ON ITION S NU G A TOR Y .

earnes t t hy prayer to God that he wo ul d shew thee t h e s nare s

which beset thy path 5 thy path I say fo r each o fus has , ,

his o wn . These p eril s thou mu s t concern t hyself with n o t ,

thos e which lie in thy neighb our s way The ne e d o fpraye r ’

.

is greater even than the need of faith .

The advice was disregarded and by none mor e than the ,

ecclesiastics In consequence wh at w o es h ave afflicted th e

.
,

world S in c e those wise and heroic words Wer e utte r ed N ever

t h el ess they w ere not sp oken in vain
,
A great change h as .

c o m e over s ociety Every passing year that movement be

.

co m es wider deeper m o r e powerful It is gradu all y un d eI

, , .

mining o l d foundations and none m ore than my t hr one I

, .

have in my o wn mind gone over the principal causes w hi ch

h ave conduced to bring m atters to this pass and I will here ,

mention some o fth em if only to prepare yo u for par t ing c o m

,

pany w ith me E re I apply to the task let m e express a

.
,

hope that my connection with you dear young friend h as not , ,

been altogether unprofitable o r unpleasant It is perhaps o n e .

o fthe m ost pro m ising features Ofthe day that th e clericals are

taking t o p opular education ; an d if they really fin d pleasure

in co m panying with the young may I n o t consider the com ,

m u n i c at i o n s I have made t o you as likely t o be of s ervic e to

the r isin g en erat i o n ?
o
g

Independently Of that great social and religious cataclysm

e ffe c ted by t he giant arm o fLuther and whi c h in its main ,

bearings w as but a consequence o f the extravagant power

forced in t o m y hands by the priesthood and the unbounded ,

tyrannical and cruel purposes t o w hich it was turned for the

suppression of thoug ht and the aggrandizemen t of a caste the ,

restoration o fthe Bible to the haunts o fmen breathin g the ,

w arm and kin dling brea th OfGod and S O qui c kening m en s

’

he arts and c onsciences with a practical and earnest sense o f

both the supre m e prerogative o fpersonal responsibility and of
t h e supreme duty o fpersonal inquiry has pro d uced throughout ,

the world a ferm entation o f m ind which b ei n g favourable , ,

only to the real the true t h e divine and the everlasting has
, , ,
3 76 THE O P EN IN G or THE E A R TH BA N IS H ES S A TA N .

without marking my devastating presence with m y cloven feet

somewhere .

But hell is said t o be beneath What is beneath as c ontra .

,

distin guished from above in a universe where t o yo u o n ,

this glob e bene ath and above change places every four and -

twenty hours And so as tronomy even c onfutes my existence

as a personal demo n by shewing that there is n o radical and
,

inherent di fference between ascent and descent and that c o n ,

sequently that my g o ing down int o hell w as and remains a m er e

figure o fsp ee ch derived from the ignorance o fthe dark ages
,
.

Yes 3 clearly here again we have to do with m en s passing

’

, ,
’
c onceptions rather than God s everlasting reali ties
,
.

The geologists however in the co m mon sense o fthe phrase

, , ,

have gone down int o the depths o fthe earth have they c om e
upon me o r my abode It w ould b e at least as c orrect to say
that the hand that for m ed this glob e has solidified its entrail s
and th ro w n them u p into this light of day that they may be s o
seen and studied by human eyes as to reveal t o human mind s
its w hole interior which accordingly is in all its parts as
,
’
fa m iliar to science as is a mother s nursery to herself Have .

the geologists come upon me or mine any where ?

While these great disintegrating influences have been
a c tively at work for so m e three centuries r e castin g the min d ,
-

o fm a n and r e for m ing civil ized society certain great currents

-

o fm ental and moral force have removed the scales from h is

eyes and given him glad sight of the glorious universe o f

,

reality that Go d has unfolded in his instructive panorama

w hich unrolls day after day and night after night before all
intelligent eyes .

U nder the be n efi cen t leadership of Bacon S c ience that is , ,

accurate and syste m atized kno wledge has been carefully and ,

successfully studied In a certain sense it m ay be said that

.

s c ience c onsidered in its metho d is a creation o fthe last t wo

, ,

o r thre e c e n t u rIe s N o w science thus understood m eans n o t

.
, ,

only free and thorough research but also full satisfaction o f ,

m ind arising from su f ficient evidence This o n e position has .

 MA N S M OR A L N A TURE DEN IE S S A TA N
’
. 37
p

put a crowd of fancies and shado w s to flight R esu m ing the .

study o fevery departm ent of kno wledge and belief Scienc e ,

has brought t he m all to the bar of cultivated intelligence and , ,

making the m give an exact and full a c count of the m selves ,

has convi c ted nearly all the old notions as m ore o r less untrue .

To this bar real science brought all the pretended sciences o f

p ast ages and conde m ned the m one after another As a part
, .

o fits dut y it took cognizance o fme and I m ust fairly c onfe s s

, ,

that I was proved to be as a p erson an unreali t y This proof .

is none the less effectual because infor m al 5 for in truth I have

s tood before the m in d o f every intelligent m a n in E urope ,

and been silently but e m pha t i c ally c onde m ned Th e spiri t o f .

science and the spirit o fde m onology are so antagonistic that ,

w here the o n e is the other cannot be

,
Men t al science has .

been specially busy w ithin the last hundred years The mind .

o fman has been subj ect again and again to the most searching

and minute analysis Has it in its researches b een led to m e

.

N o t the faintest trace has it met w ith of m y presence The .

mind o fm an is a unit strictly and properly a unit Having

,
.

various qualities and aptitudes it has o n e centre and is of o n e

,

tissue so as to b e ever the same thinking organi sm how

, ,

different soever its manifestatio n s .

The same m ay be said o f man s moral nature

’
Here at .

“ ”
least yo u ought to find traces of the fall and o fm y cease
less Oper ation But man s moral nature S cienc e pronounces
.
’

n o t a r uin nor a battle ground between t w o o r m ore extra

,
-

n e o u s po w ers but o n e h arm onious whole The unity of m an s ’

, .

m oral nature as it is a datum o fmoral phil osophy so is it its

, ,

fu nd amental axiom .

The science of R eligion does in d eed find me every where

and at all previous ti m es But in what shape ? A person
.

No . A personal dev il it finds no where The na m e it finds .

,

as it finds the name of w it c h and gorgon But the origin o f .

all three it trac es back equally into the re m otest and thickest
shades o fantiquity and the a c tual efi ac e m en t o ft h e t wo lat ter
’

guarantees the effacement o fthe former The ghosts indeed .

, ,
3 78 I ND E P ENDEN C E or CH R IS TIA N M O R A L ITY .

have hardly yet taken their final farewell even o fE ngland ,

but they linger o nl y to bear me company in my approaching

departure .

Meanwhile every day men are m ore and m ore en Jo yIn g th e

,

cons c iousness o ftheir emancipation D elivered fro m a brood .

o fat least distracting and anno ing falsities they feel them
y ,

selves each hi s o w n m aster and as such no less able than ,

will ing to work o ut ea c h his o w n des tiny in m aking the most ,

o fthe fine endo w m ents and opp ortunities he has received from

the w ise and b ountiful hand o fthe co mm on F ather That .

generous and e n nobling sentimen t no longer disturbed and ,

darkened by th e fa c titious distinctions o fnarro w theologies ,

makes every man the brother o fevery other and his c o heir -

o f i m mortality Henc e the race o f man is o n e fa mily the

.
,

earth is the o n e great university and heaven the one final ,

home N ot least in c onsequence is the liberation that ensues

.

fro m sacerdotal dictation as w ell as diabolical seduction and

“
c on t rol What ensues ?
. The glorious liberty o fthe sons o f
Go d .
”
Man stands alone in the presen c e o fh is Maker the — ,

child in the presenc e of his F ather As there is no wrath o n .

’
Go d s side so there n eeds no vicarious p acifi c at i o n on the side
,

o fm an The F ather leans to ward his son the son yearns

.
,

t o w ard the F ather True religion is born and the birth o f

.
,

true religion uni t es the tw o R eligion n o w is a reality and

.
,

b eing a reality it is a power Here is ne w ness o f life and .

,

“ ”
here is j oy unspeakable and full o fglory .

The m orality of the religion o fJesus o w es its valu e and its

ef fi cacy t o its o wn intrinsic qualities F ounded in the w ill .

o f Go d recognized by the individual c o n science san c tio ned

, ,

by its adaptedness t o human nature as w ell as its congruity

with the universe enforced by i ts appeals to the heart and
, ,

c orroborated by e ery m an s personal experience

v
’
— i ts ethi c s ,

n eed no external legislation for their support and no a d v e n ,

titi c u s rewards or punish m ents for their acceptan c e and o h

servance And yet there are priests of the sanctuary w h o
.

hold that Christian duty has no valid clai m and no certain

3 80 A P ER S O N AL S ATA N TH ORO U GH L Y IM HO R AL .

perish than the pillars that sustain the throne o fGod God .

alone is qui te sufficient for the government of the univers e

w hich he brought in to being and constantly sustains .

E quall y manifest then as n o w w il l be the enorm ity of sin .

R ather I shou l d have said far m ore m a ni fes t will it b e At

,
.

present its i ntrinsic enor m ity is darkened distorted and w eak ,

ened by fabulous inter m ixtures O ne o fthe m ost important

.

duties Of the present ho ur is to de theologise religion and -

mo rality This wil l ensue w hen a pers onal devil is no m ore

.

—
then w ill it ensue but n ever before .

Then too w ill m ut u al moral responsibility b e felt in all its

, ,

clearness and for c e Mortals do lead each other into sin

. .

The sin o fthe individual beco m es the sin first o fa family , ,

and then Of a neighb ourhood and then of a c ountry There

,
.

is in these facts a fearful account to give and a large repay

ment to m ake But m en s sense o ftheir liability is dulled
.
’

and destroyed by m y intervention under the han d s of sacer

dotal teachers Ofmorals W here there are t w o backs to h e ar
.

o n e load the load has a fair chance Of not being borne at all
, .

L et each man h ear his o wn burden says the w ise apostle ,

”

( Gal .vi . A n d m an s o wn individ u al and relative burdens

’

are numerous enough and heavy enough t o need n o increase

fro m Satanical suggestions and i m p ulses .

And here I must put before yo u o n e consideration which

makes me totally hop eless in regard to my future My assu m ed .

p ersonal e x isten c e is thoroughly im m oral in its tendency .

N ot only do es it co mplicate all m oral questions whatever ex ,

tending even to the equity OfGo d in his dealin gs w ith m an ,

but it weakens and tends to nullify man s m oral sense O n ’

.

o n e side man must feel him self overmatched when in addi

, ,

tion to his o w n deep sinfulne s s he is b eset con s tantly by a

,

fiend w h o is at least next to alm ighty and w hose rule depends ,

o n his success in m isleading and corrupting hu m an beings .

O n another side he is relieved from his sens e Of personal

,

responsibili t y by ha v ing another and a transcendently power

ful being on w ho m as the real author Of S in in general and
,
 PROOES S OE DE C O MP O S IT ION . 81

of his o wn S in the individual is j ustified in casting no less the

,

guilt o f sin than the a c t The notion in d eed of vi c ario us .

, ,
i

de m eri t m ay h a v e been possible as long as the corresp onding

n otion o fv i carious m erit re m ained in vigour , but in the degree

in w hi ch the great principle Of the religion Of Jesus namely , ,

individual responsibility co mes into pro m inen c e and finds ,

a c ceptance t h e fa lsi t ies OfSatanical deprivation and Messianic

,

expiation b eco m e equally untenable and impossible N or w hen .

,

in vie w Of the num erous and horrible evils to whi ch these

pages bear w itness a s results Of m y supposed a gency in Go d s ’

providential governm ent o f the universe yo u c onte m plate ,

the hu m an and divine re al ity viz that o fa w orld p ervaded ,

.
, ,

guided and blessed by the wis d o m goodness and po w er o ft h e ,

o n e Infinite F ather can any lo w er feeling arise than an over

,

ruling desire t o o hey the Alm ighty if only fro m the ad m iring ,

and worshiping love w ith w hich the soul is flooded in the

c onte m plation o fthe disappearance o fall spots fro m the fa c e
“

Of the central sun and o fthe sole and ex c lusive prevalen c e o f

,

th e pure and serene lustre Of such goodness in absolute per

”
fe c t io n as radiated fro m the life Of the S on of Man d uring
his public ministry on earth .

That all pervading brillia n c y will totally e c lipse m e a blotch

-

o n the fa c e o fcreation cast there by hu m an hands if only

, ,

bec ause while the influence of m e as an incarnation o fevil is

,

m ost demoralizing the spirit OfGod in Christ qui c kens hu m an

,

souls with all pure thoughts all chaste desires all holy aspi , ,

rations raising the m into that higher sphere w hither te mp

,

t at i o n canno t co m e and when c e in c onseq uen c e all m oral evil

,

is fo r e ver banished .

The process Of deco m position thus e ffe c tuall y working i n

Great Britain as w ell as in other Protestant lands especially
, ,

the U nited Sta tes OfAmeri c a In c onne c tion with religio n w a s , ,

repeate d on philosophi c al grounds and with all the rigour of

the m ost c ultivated dialecti c s in the schools of F ranc e and
Germany where it has produced results w hi c h either quietly
,

ignore me as a pha n to m Of the past or assail my existence

'

,
3 82 D E S OARTE S AN D KA N T .

with the t w o edge d s w ord o freason and religion the keenness

-

O fw hose e d ge and the temper Of whose steel I have too Often

felt not t o S hrink from te m pt ing it any longer

, .

The p o w er o fthis adverse di rection lies n o t so much in any

thing as to m y orig in and existence as in the production o fa ,

freedom o f thought and a lustration Of m ind w hi ch involve

principles an d sentiments with which the recognition o fme ,

a s a personal embodiment o f evil is utterly inc o m patible , .

Had not o n e dart been discharged aga inst m e by the han d Of

avo w ed assailants I m ust have perished as perish I shall
, , ,

fro m the general tendencies o fthought and effort whi c h may

b e termed the sp i r i t ofthe a g e AS much as the thirteenth .

“
c entury w as S atan s day S O much is this the d a y of the
’

c hi ld r en oflig ht And I may hint at o n e o r two phases o f

.

this p erio d which exercised an unusual influenc e in sapping

my foundations .

—
When D es c artes ( 1 5 9 6 1 6 5 0 ) laid the bas is o f hi s sys
t em of philosophy n o t S O m uch in general doubt as in absolute
d enial casting out of his mind ( so far as he c ould ) all its c o n
,

tents in order that honestly thoroughly and safely he might ,

build his intellectual house afresh he recognized and r e c o m ,

mended a principle whose observanc e w a s destined to b e m y

ruin O riginated by spe c ulation and supported on fable and
.

a u thority I re c eived my death blo w the very day when these

,
-

w ere set at nought and a p h ilO S Op h ic individualis m w as esta

,

blis h e d in their place .

S O long and so far as that individualism however deal t , ,

w ith vague intellectual spe c ulations I found myself in an ,

a t m osphere in which it was possible f o r me t o sustain a tem .

K 7 —
p o r ar y existence but w hen ant ( 1 2 4 1 8 0 4 ) had S hattered
a ll these entities and quiddities and m ade moral truth the ,

s ource essence and pabulum Of existence then I found myself

, ,

totally S hut o ut of the universities by the conj ectural nat ure

O fall belonging to m e and speciall y by the ev il di spositions
,

I was said to cherish .

And here even at the risk Of being mi sun derstood I must

, ,
3 84 NE W TO N L O C KE L A RDNER
, ,
.

three chief d e n o mI n at io n s the Presbyterians the In d ep e n

, ,

dents and t h e Bap t ists began that fight which either together
, ,

o r separately , they have kept u p t o the present ho ur and ,

w hi ch h as e v entually issued in freedo m o fspeech and freedom

o fact leaving only o n e thin g to be desired namely co m plete , ,

equality o fall forms Of religion in the eye Of the legislature

and in the intercourses Of private life .

This at m osphere is too attenuated pure and ethereal for ,

me to brea the in long E ither it must be altered o r I must

.

depart The first o fthese three religious b odies receive d o f

.

t h e F ather Of lights a signal advantage F ro m being the .

s trictest Of the three in respe c t Of religious freedo m it b eca m e ,

the most liberal Its liberality encouraged examination and

.

research and these led to the conviction that the central

,

d og m as Of Protestant orthodoxy were unso und Among the .

co n demned points o fp opular belief was my personality w hich ,

was op enly diso w ned and combated a m ong these people long
before it w a s even doubted in the other deno m inations w ith ,

whom indeed i t for the m ost pa rt retains a w eakened h old

, ,

even t o this hour Here shine forth the n ames o fN ewton

.
,

L ocke L ardner Taylor Priestley Price and Of m any other

, , , , ,

lights o fthe w orld .

The great service rendered by these cham pions Of a free and

si m p l e gospel lies in their liberation o f the m orality o fChris
t ian i t y fro m all sacer d otal accretions This they effected t o
.

s u c h an extent as al m ost to identify religion and m orality .

If in going so far they at all lessened the religious element

a n d almost abolished the theological the m istake may be ,

excused in consideration of the fact tha t m orality was almos t

s u nk in ecclesiasticis m throug hout the Church A m orality .

that could assert its o wn rights and enforce its o wn clai ms

was all but t o t allv unknown in m odern E urope until the Eu
glish D eists began to exercise their influence in E ngland and
L essing published his invaluable works in Germany Then .

a n e w era dawned and the degree in which its sun ascends

toward the zenith is the degree o fmy decline .
 S OHL E IE RM AOHER . 3 85

The Older Ger m an theologians retained more or less fully

and firmly the ideas entertained by L uther and whi c h gene ,

rally bear the nam e of orthodox ; but philosophy and the

spirit o fthe age gradually dissolved those vie w s S O t h at the ,

moderns e g Morus R ein h ard Storr Knapp K aiser S t e ud el

,
. .
, , , , , ,

united with Mi chaelis and D Od erl ein to doubt the co mm on

opinions o r like S chott E cker m ann Henke W e gs c h e id er
, , , , , ,

V o n A mm on D e Wette Hase B au m gart en C r us iu s Bretsch

, , , ,

n eider and others set the m aside as notions of the day w hich
,

di d n o t belo n g to Christianity while others under the i n fl u ,

en c e Of K ant conceived OfSatan as si mply the ideal of wi cked

,

ness and S O con cur red in the vie w Of m yself whi c h I have
,

g iven throughout this Me m oi r .

A still more distinguished authority one w h o m ay be cal led ,

the originator an d m as t e r of the m o dern spiritualis m of the

Protestant Church S chleier m a cher constru c ting Christiani ty
, ,

o u t o fthe Christian conscien c e and fi n ding no devil there , ,

pronounces m e a superfetatio n and as such so ridi culous as ,

n o t to be i m putable to the b elief of any one B elief in Satan .

for m s no par t Ofreligion and of his influence in c onsequen c e,

”
nothing c an b e sai c The fi rst lan c e thrust into m y side
.

was handled by an E n glish m an who in the person of R eginald ,

S c ott resolutely denied that I c ould change the la ws of nature

ie
.

Bekker Of Am s t er d amfi as already set for th went a S t ep ‘

farther Pla cing him self on the ro u nd of Cartesianis m he

.
g
,

rej ected all a ction o fmalign spirits on the sens ible world and ,

maintained that de m onia c al possessions are only i m aginations

o r diseases Ofthe m in d This opinion put forw ard by m edi c al
.
,

m e n o fthe ti m e of O rigen is now generally he l d by the think ,

ing and cultivated publi c .

En glish orthodoxy b oth c onfor mist and nonconfor m ist

, ,

more c ons ervative o ferror than c urious after truth does in d eed ,

con t inu e to c ounte n an c e m e at least in for m and fro m the ,

popular pulpits 3 but daily does t h e patronage in t h e high er

Th e D i s c ov er y ofW i t ch cr aft . L on d on , 1 5 84 .

Le M o n d e E n ch an t é .
3 86 THE UN ITA R IA N S .

and more scholarly levels grow here subdued there qu alified , , ,

there timid and there half ashamed o fitself ; S O that unl ess
,
-

I of my own accord renounce my claims I S hall I foresee ere , , ,

long be d eserted by the theology as well as the intelligence of

the English nation This i m pending ab andon m ent w ill doubt
.

less be due to the combin ed influence o fthe causes to which I

have referred Bu t o n e o r t wo S pecial ones deserve m ention
. .

The U nitarians of E ngland a n d the U nited States have long

denied m y personal existence and so m e o ftheir best divines , ,

E st lin f Si m pson ! S cott i Grundy ! and o n e of their m ost

-
“
, , ,

effective have in print assa ile d m y s c riptural

claims m oreover th e general tenden cy o ftheir reas onable and
,

spiritu al d irection o freligious tho ught and efl o r t as seen in the ,

w ritings o fParker an d Martineau being in favour o ft h e final ,

prevalence Of the D ivine will and c onsequently of hum an ,

purity and happiness has w orked silently but e ffectually S O as ,

to threaten to issue in my final overthro w “ Yet had the .

exa m ple Of these excellent men been less sparin gly follo w ed in
m ore recent days fanaticism w ould b e nearer its sep ul chre
,

than it is not in E ngland only but in Scotland where I have

, , ,

b een all but worshiped and where I a m still held in a slavish ,

resp ect o fwhi c h I am myself ash a m ed .

Another bo dy Of religionists m ust not b e passed wholly in

silen c e S ince they at least in their Offspring in the Uni t ed
, ,

“ ”
States have contributed largely to the decline and fall of
,

an e m pire more huge and m ore baneful than that o fancient

—
R o m e I allude to the U niversalists They originated in the .

latter part Of the las t c en t ur y in Great Britain in t wo cen

t res . O ne was Trinitarian Here the U niversalis t s holding .
,

Est lin
’
s D is c ours es on Un iv er sal R est it ution .

E ss ay s on t h e L an gu g a e o fS cri pt ur e .

t D evil
it L ec ur es on t h e .

L e ct u e o t he D e il i hi s E a g elical C h ist ian it y

“
r n v n v n r .
,

HRi ch ar d Wri ght E ssa y on t h e E xi t e c e oft he D evi l s n .

‘ S e e p ti c ula ly Dr S out h w oo d S mit h s Ill ustratio n s of t he D i i ’

ll a r r . v ne

Go e me t 3 d e d
v rn n L o d on 1 8 2 2
,
r S i ce ep in t e d i n a ch e p f o m
. n ,
. n r r a r .
3 88 S ATA N A F A N CY A S O UND A N AM E
, , .

have bee n in operation durin g some three hundred ye

These are mostly extraneous They produce their effect by .

Operating mainly o n the exterior But in truth like every .

,

thin g mortal I carry within me the seeds of m y o wn disso

,

l ut i o n AS a na m e rather than a b ein g I share in the cor

.

r up t ibili t y and decay o fal l forms o flanguage whatever The .

”
reflection o fa day dream Ofsome un tutored Indian I o nl y
-

to ok an out ward S hap e when his descendants had acquired

the difficult art o flinguistical articulation Thus bec o m ing .

an e cho o f the hu m an voice I spread fro m individual to ,

i ndividual and fro m hut t o hut an aerial phan t o m w hi c h all ,

feared and none could describe By and by that sound a o .

quired the s olidity and exercised the functions of a proper

na m e N o w then m y existence assu m ed a certain superfi c ial
.
, ,

reality C en t uries passed a w ay and still I w a s nothing m ore

.
,

co n c rete than an articulate sound Ho w ever t h e ti m e came .

,

when fro m audible signs I passed on the discovery Ofwriting , ,

into some kind o f visible form Then firs t m e n called m e .

and w rote me down as Satan But here t o o there is a his .

, ,

tory which I can explain onl y by us ing the corresponding

,

E nglish term I was the Adversary O riginally they had

. .

spoken o fm e as adverse t hat is as evil O pposition they found

, .

o n every side and opposition must they felt have its cause
, , ,
.

I w as that cau se But the assertion was at first particular

.
,

and beca m e general only by degrees Accordingly men said .

it (that which w as opposite in any case to their wishes or

—
their interests) I t w as bad It took c en t u I i es to trans m ute
.

t his bad into m any bads and centuries more to condense all
,

thes e into badness Still however w e have no personal S ign

.
, , .

Who can say h o w long it took to enable the semi barbarous -

races to speak of a bad O N E ? Another S lo w pro c ess Of gro w t h

gave birt h to the bad o n e Another again was requisite to
.
, ,

put the sound into writing as the bad O ne Here we have , .

”

“ ”
the co m ponents Of the idea involved in the Adversary .

But th is Ad v ersary is only local Untold ages m ust have .

passed before the bad o n e or the a d v es ary o fo n e tribe became

 S A TA N SI MP L Y “
THE A D V ER S A R Y .

the adversary o f a n island a c ontinent a hemisphere the , , ,

earth .

And so at last w e are brought to the general conception

o f The Adversary Co m paratively very late in the progre s s
.

o fc ulture m ust be the da t e of the origin of the personal d e s i

g
na t ion The Ad v ersary
,
.

And n o w my valued amanue n sis consider of w hat ele m ents

, ,

t h Is w ritten S ign consists You like most other ordinary .

,

persons suppose that in the Adversary or the S atan you have

,

a concrete living and per m anent individual That howe v er .

, ,

—
is a m ere conception a figment of yo u r own p l astic brai n .

Men create their o w n d evil and they c reate him out of the ,

sounds w hich they have uttered an d the visible signs they

have invented In reality that w hich is d enoted by the ter m
.
,

The A d versary is iflooked at m erely a certain co mbination

”

, , ,

o fvisible lines and c urves an d if uttered certai n reverbe ra , , ,

tions o fthe stricken a ir .

“
And is Satan nothing more sub stantial than this ? yo u
ask I reply w hatever else it is co m es fro m your own pro
.
,

“ ”
lifi c m ind The proof is that the Adversary if yo u go
.
, ,

back through the pro c ess by which yo u saw it come into

existence can be reduced to its successive S hapes until at last
, ,

it passes from a visible audible and articulate so m ething into , ,

a notio n a fancy a dream of your o wn begotte n o fso m e piece

, , ,

o fill luck so m e raging te m pest so m e serious d isappoint m ent

-

, , ,

so m e fit of ill humour some dark presage occasi o ned by annoy

-

an c e vexation o r even indigestion It is hi m self that m an

, , .

thro ws out war dl y in the visible and audible signs which are
called w ritten language I am then in re ality nothing m ore .

substantial than a proj ection of a certain state o fman s mind ’

.

Were the proj ection an image of man s highest c ulture it ’

wo ul d be a reality But in truth the proj e ction is S im ply the

.

deepest S hade of man s unc ulture In other words it is a

’

,
.

S ha d o w o fthe hugest m isconception m an ever m a d e born of ,

his ignoran c e bred on his narrowness nurtured in his lo west

, ,

and fierces t pa ssions and brought to m aturity long b efore ,

3 90 S A TA N S REA L
’
R IS E I N V OL V E S HIS F A LL .

truth an d reality had d a wned o n the human r ace As such .

,

i t is merely a proj ection o fa state o fthe human mind which

the race has outlived in all its higher representatives and whi c h ,

n o w d ark en s and disturbs only the lowest and mos t depraved

t

,
.

that is the least human circles o fso ciety , .

This c oncise history co n tains a prophecy o f my S peedy

downfall As other p erso ni fic at io n s have ceased t o be v iewed
.

—
as persons as the sun and the moon have pas s ed from per
,

—
sonal beings into mo r e organic matter s o am I in my turn , , ,

destined to dissolv e and vanish into the empty air o ut o f

which I received my personal existence from som e human
lip long ago reduc ed t o dust S i c tr a n s i t g lor i a m uh d i . .

Ho w a rt th ou f ll
a en f
ro m h eav en ,
O L u ci f er , s on oft h e m or n i n g!
How ar t th o u c ut d o wn t o t he g r o un d ,
wh o d i dth s a ra s s t he na ti o n s
x iv
( IS . .

Were any doubt left as t o that fall by the previous c o n si

derations I proceed t o mention o n e which removes t he possi
,

bilit y o fa question I am the child o fa dualistic conception

.

o f the universe and can live n o longer than it survives

, .

Arising in a barbarous age the n otion o ft wo great powers o r ,

principles as the sources o fgood and evil light and darkness , ,

happiness and wo e spread s o as t o cover the whole area o f

,

the mind and life o fman Hence arose subaltern dualisms .

,

such as mind and matter body and soul spirit and flesh , , ,

heaven and hell which S harply sundered the o n e from the

, ,

other set the whole world n o t in c ontrast only but in coll i

, , ,

sion D own to a recent date this universal dualism governed

.
,

tho u ght d irected metaphysical speculation mo ul ded creeds

, , ,

and shaped an d colo ur ed the Church Acc or din gly yo u had .

,

monar c hs t o rul e and subj ects t o obey priests t o dictate and ,

laymen t o bel ieve soldiers t o fight and civilian s t o pay the

,

c ost The whole tendency o fintellectual philosophy durin g at

.

leas t a century has been adverse t o this antagonism and favour

able t o a U nitarian vie w as o fGo d and the universe s o o f , ,

hu m an beings in all their relations Go d an d the univ ers e .

are o n e in the sense that the former produces the latter which ,
3 92 S A TA N S C O MP UN C TION ’
.

p ersonification a p o w e r o r a w ord I am according to universal

, , ,

Opinion bad wicked base In this description o f myself I

, , , .

s h all c arry the w orl d at la rge with m e AS such I a m rotten .

,

at t he c o re E ither there is no God o r goo d ness al one is

.
,

per m anent and everlasti n g D eny the aver m ent and you .
,

make w ickedness e t ernal no less than go odness 5 and two

eternals are t wo gods But t w o gods in confli c t m eans the .

rule of infinite confusion What is that but boundless w eak .

n ess and uncertainty ? And so here again you ar e brought , ,

to pra ctical atheis m or what is the sa m e thing all pervading

, , ,
-

chaos But as evil I totally la c k the ele m ent o fper m anency

.
, .

Hence one o f the t w o c ontending parties is an unreality .

E vil as evil must p erish o r be permanent If per manent it

, ,
.
,

m akes good insecure and an insecure Go d is no Go d at all,

.

E vil then is not per manent If not per m ane n t it is perish

, ,
.
,

able 5 and whatever is p erishab l e m u st c o m e to an end Such .

is my fate .

The result is m erited I cannot look ba c k on my past .

wi thout co m pun c tion I have been the occasion to the hu m an

.

race of innu m erable deceptions Yet in extenuation I must .

plead that after all i t is rath er m an wh o has flogged him self

, ,

w ith his o w n chi m eras Unhappily those wh o S hould have .

,

deliv ered him from the viperous brood have nourished and
prop agated it Ho wever at this m y extre m ely advanced age
.
, ,

I a m too op pressed with contrit ion in vie w of the terror s and ,

w oes I have cause d to tolerate the feeling of reprovi n g others

, .

I leave the m to their o wn reflectio n s as I am pro m pted by ,

mine i n thus m aking my confession and expressing my sorrow .

I cannot , however refrain fro m saying that as I have been

, ,

led by p enitence to expose the terrible deceit w hich m y na m e

represents I hope that all who have been my masters o r
,

my servants w ill j oin w ith me in doing their best to rid the

w orld o ft h e m ost deadly of i ts plagues .

But I de n y that I am solely evil As a human Ofl sp rin g I .

,

have my good qualities no less tha n my bad The better S ide .

of my nature a n ticipates w ith s erene satisfa c tion the sunder

 MY DE ATH AN D DEL IV ER A N C E . 3 93

ance and rej ection of the inferior side Anticipated death .

,

then h as in reserve no alar m no d istress for me O n the

, ,
.

c ontrar y I look for w ard w ith c al m deli ht t o the tim e w hen

, g
I shall be delivered fro m the body of t his death ( Ro m v ii . .

My deliverance w ill b e at once c ause an d c onsequen c e of the

deliverance of the hu m an rac e This brigh t prospe c t do you
.

go forth and hold o u t to the nations Men will be won by .

hope while they are borne do w n and destroyed by fear Th e

,
.

reign o flove in t h e Chur c h w ill m ake the Chur c h as u niversal

as the sunb ea m an d equally ben efi c en t But this attra c tive
,
.

future is depicted by the great apostle more truly and m ore

a ttra c tively t han can be done by any w ords o f m ine and ,

therefore I ask you t o st udy the follo w in g quotation from

Paul s Epistle to the R o m ans
’

“
AS m any as are led by the spirit of Go d are the sons o f
God And ye did not receive the S pirit of b ondage leading
.

unto fear 5 but ye re c eived the spirit o fadoption wherein ye

cry Abba F ather The S pirit itself beareth witness to our
, ,
.

sp irit that w e are children of God : and if children then ,

heirs ; heirs of Go d and j oint heirs with Christ ; since w e

,
-

are s uf fering w ith him to the end that w e also m ay be glorified

,

with h im : for I re ckon that the s ufferings of this present tim e

are of no a c count in c o mparison of the glory whi ch is to b e
revealed in us 5 for t h e earnest expectation of the creation is
wai t ing for the revelation of the sons of God 5 for the cr ea t io n
wa s m a d e s u b
j t t i t t f i t w w i ll b t b
"

ec o c a n y n o
,
o s o n u y r ea so n
,

of hi m who m a d e i t s u b j ec t i n h op ;e for the very c reation

itself s hall be set free fro m the b ondage of corruption into
the liberty of the glory of the children o fGod for w e kno w
that the whole c reation groaneth and trav aileth in pain toge
ther until n o w 5 and not o nl y so but even ourselves h aving , ,

t h e first fruit of the spirit even w e ourselves groan w i thin

,

o u rselves w aiting for the end of t h e adoption to wit the

, , ,

rede mption of our body Moreover w e kno w that to the m

.
,

that love God all t hings w ork t ogether for good Who S hall .

separate us fro m the love of Christ ? N either d e at h n o r life , ,

3 94 KE P P LER .

nor an gels nor principalities nor thin gs present n o r thing s

, , ,

t o c o m e nor po w ers nor he ight nor depth n o r any other

, , , ,

created t hi n g shall be able to separate us from the love o f

,

God; which is in Christ Jesus o u r L ord .

”

CHAPTER X .

E
T S TI M O NIE S .

M INE has been a bold task But for s ome noble member s
.

o f your race it could n o t have been performed In their .

it in g s I have fo u nd light encouragement and courage

,
I .

will cite a few words 5 and I cite wha t foll ows with the greater
satisfaction becau se while it j ustifies the task I have perfor m ed
,

and upholds the pri n ciples I have in p art acted o n in p ar t ,

e n forced it relieves m e fro m any charge o fnarrowness S in ce

, ,

the wi tnesses I adduce in my o wn cause are for the most part

m inisters o f religion Were they the priests w ho m I w arn
.

the world against no word o ftheirs could have been adduced

,

in favo ur o f the great ai m s o fthe composition which h av in g ,

'

revi ewed its sheets more than once I n o w dear Theophilus , , ,

put into your hands fo r publication .

KE PP LER .

Th e t wo r evea l in g B o o ks .

The day will soon dawn when pious sim plici t y will be
ashamed o fits blind superstition when m en will acknowledge
,

t ruth no less in the book o fN ature than in the S acred Scrip

tures and rej oice alike over both revelations

,
.

S P INOZA .

Ha r mo n y ofr ig ht thi n ki n g a n d r ight a cti n g .

What is most consonant wit h reason is most conducive to

virtue .
3 96 A R CHB IS H O P TI LLO TS O N .

AR CHB IS H O P T ILL O TS ON .

All o ur reasonings ab out re v elation are necessarily ga t hered

by o ur natural no t ions about relig ion and therefore he who ,

S i ncerely desires to do t h e w ill OfGo d is n o t apt to b e i m posed

o n by v ain preten c es o f divine revelation but if any doc

5
trine be proposed t o h im w hi c h is pretended to co m e fro m
God he measures it by those sure and steady notions which
,

he has o fthe D ivine nature and perfe c tions 5 he w ill consider

the nature and tendency o f it o r whether it be a doctrine ,

according to godliness such as is agreeable t o the D ivine

,

nature and perfections and tends to make us like unto Go d

, .

If it be n o t though an angel should bring it he would not

, ,

.
—
rece ive 1 t S er ni o n s III p 4 8 5 ,
. . .

DE . C ON Y E R S M IDDLE TON .

Th e fa ll f
om a n a m or a l fa ble .

Fro m the authority o fm any of the ancient interpreters and

fro m my o wn reflectio n s I have ever been in c lined to con
,
“

sider the particular story o fthe fall of m an as a moral fable

o r allegory 5 such as we frequently m eet w ith in other parts of

the O ld and N e w Testa m en t , in whi c h c ertain reli gious duties

and doctrines w ith the g enuine nature and effects o fthe m are
, ,

represented as it w ere to o u r senses by a fi ction o fpersons

, ,

and facts which had no real existence And I a m the more .

readily induced to espouse this sense of it from a persuasion ,

that it is n o t only the m ost probable and rational but the ,

m ost useful also by clearing i t o fthose diffi c ulties w hich are

,

apt t o shock and m ake us stu m ble as it w ere at the very , ,

threshold Wo r ks II 1 3 l
.
,
. .

AR CH DE AC ON P A LE Y .

mo ve wha t man i n t ellig en ce is a s er v i ce

’
To re c o n tr a d i c ts s to
Chr is t ia n i ty .

Whoever can render religion m ore rational renders it more ,

credible 5 he w h o by a diligent and faithful exam ination of

the original records dis m isses from his syste m o n e article
,
 LE S S IN G . 3 97

whi c hcontradicts the apprehension the experience or the , ,

reason of mankind does m ore to w ards re c o m m ending the

,

belief an d w ith the b elief the influence o f Christianity to

, , , ,

the un d erstan ding and conscien c es o f se rious inquirers and ,

through the m to uni v ersal reception than c an b e effe c ted by ,

a thousand c ontenders for creeds and ordinances of h um a n

a ppoint m en t — M o r a l P hil o s op hy D edication to Bishop L aw .

DR . PR IE S TLE Y .

The gross darkness o fthat night whi c h has for m any cen
t u r i e s obscured our holy religion w e m ay c learly see is past 5
, ,

the m orning is opening upon us 5 and we ca n not doubt but that

the ligh t will increase and extend itself m ore and more unto
the perfe c t day Happy are they who contribute to dif
. fuse
the pure light of the everlasting gosp el The ti m e is co ming .

when the detection o fo n e error or prej udice relating to this

m ost important s ubj ect and the su c cess we have in opening
,

and enlarging the minds o fm en w ith respect to it will be far ,

m ore honourable than any d iscovery w e c an m ake i n other

branches o fkno wledge or o u r suc c ess in propagating the m
,
.

C o r r up ti o n s of Chr is ti a n i ty : D edication
’
.

L E S S IN G .

G l i s t r ue fr ee d o m a nd tr u e p o wer
The lo ve f
o o a .

Intelligent love o fGod the co mm on Spirit Of t he w orld w ill ,

m ake men free The ti m e of a n e w and everlas ting gospel

.

il l certainly co m e E nough that I already see in the to ys of

.

c hildren the w eapons w hi c h men w ill o n e day wield wi t h a

firm hand .

F r ee i n q uir y .

E nter upon this inquiry like an honest m an

say t o myself ,
I .

See everywhe re with thine o wn eyes Pervert nothing pal .

,

liat e n othing AS the c onsequences flow so let them fi o w

.
, .

N either c heck t h e stream nor divert it .

3 98 RE A S ON B EN OU N OED IN T HE P U L PIT .

The D ecr i a l R m we
f
o e as o n fr o t h e P u l
p i t
-

The author she w s that to denounce th e noblest human

faculty R eason as a weak corrupt blind seductive guide is
, , , , , ,

a s lit tle in accordance with the spirit and teachi ngs o fChrist
,

a s the favo u rite recurrence to the fall of Adam an d Ev e and ,

the universal depravity therefro m brought for ward for the ,

purpose o f fostering a blind faith corresponds t o Bibli c al ,

records and traditions To the theological pulpit authorities .

wh o decry reason he calls o ut : You make your selves ridi

c ul o u s by c ontradicting your o wn deeds 5 for you continue to

c alumniate tha t very reason w hi c h you are unable t o dispense

with in your de m onstra t ions and refutations You grudge to

others the u se of that whi ch yo u apply for yourselves at every
mo m ent and in thi s respec t are n o t a w hit better than the
,

Catholic priests w hom you so severely denounce because they ,

deny t o the laity the rea di ng of the Bible w hi c h they prefer ,

t o keep to themselves and interpret accor di n g t o their o w n

” L
p l e as ur e ?

BEL S B AM .

F rom Genes i s to Malachi I see no account of any such m alig

n ant being as the devil is commonly i m agined to be All good .

a n d all evil is in the Jewish S c rip tures as c ribed t o the o n e

Go d who is t h e great and pri m ary agent in all events It is

,
.

Jehovah and not the devil that hardens the heart o fPharaoh
, ,

( E xod vii 3 )5 and

. ifthere is. evil in the city it is the ,
”

L ord and not an evil spirit w h o hath done it The word

, ,
.
”

devil never occur s in the O ld Testa m ent in the sense in w hich

it is n e w used And Satan properly signifies only an a d v er
.

sary In t h e N ew Testa m ent the w ord devi l is so m etim es used

.

to p ersonify the principle o fevil and sometimes the idolatrous ,

and p ersecuting p o w er 5 and the want Of attention to this

h
T is i s t h e h di g
d ft h f m u W lf b t t l
ea n of t h e s e con o e a o s o en u e F r ag
m t w i tt
en s by R i m u
r d eni e 1 —
publ h d by L i g 7 7 4 1 7 7 8
ar s an s e es s n ,
.

Th L i f d W k e fG tth ld E ph i m L
e an i g t
or l t df
s o o o ra ess n ,
r an s a e r om t he

G m er fA d lf S t h
an by E P E
o o Ph D P f a r,fM d . . v an s , . .
,
r o e ss or o o ern L an
g g d L it
u a es a n t i th U i ity fM i h i g
e r a ur e B t n e n v er s o c an . os on 1866 .
400 H ERDER .

It would be a very i m proper m anner of ill ustrating things t o

apply all this t o o ur i d eas o fhell an d death It is nevertheles s .

certain that this kin d o f misapplication h as taken plac e with

respect t o many ideas and modes o fspeaking w hi c h ought t o b e
confine d to the particular times in which they were e m ployed .

In the meanti m e the idea o fh er e or governor c o n sidered in ,

the extensive signifi c ation o fthose terms in the ancient poetry ,

—
ca m e t o denote great things awful po w er and do minion The .

p otentate wh o reigned over hu m an souls and h a d t h e p o w er of

death became an unrighteous tyrant and the anointed of the ,

L ord wrested from h im both his do minion and his prey Thus .

d uring the spa ce of fi v e thousand years the hu m an race des ,

t i t u t e of any defence or supp ort against this K I N G O F S HA D O W S ,

w ere in a long state of servitude and terror o r to us e the , ,

language o fa sacred w riter w ere t h rough the fear of dea t h

, , ,

all their lifeti m e subj e c t to b ondage Hen c e the doleful .

lamentations o fHezekiah Hen c e that d ej ection w hi ch p re

.

vailed a m ong the Hebre ws at the prospect and approach of

death w hich the Chieftains and people o fother nations be
,

held and resisted w ith m agnani m ity and valour In thi s .

respect the Hebre w s w ere if I m ist ake not the m os t dastardly

, ,

people upon earth The dis mal ideas o fthe S hado w kin gdom
.

tormented them perhaps still m ore than the belief o fa total

'"
a nnihilation w ould have d o n e fi

Relig io n e n d ur es n o thi n g m a g ic a l .

As the pagan te m ples lie in r ui ns o n the S pot where they

once stoo d in pride s o w ill all altars be broken down on
,

which worship is Offered t o a false god This is the decree .

o fthe ir r re v o cabl e l a w o fthe Supre m e F ather the advance of ,

human intelligence the spirit of Chris t ianity and the great

, ,

tendencies of creation N ature can endure no t hing unnatural

.
,

truth nothing untrue religion nothi n g m agi c al A long night

,
.

has c o v ered every thing but the sun is rising and the spectres
,

are taking to fl ight .

H er d er ’
s Or i en t al D ial og u es, D ial og u e V I .
 L A RDNER . 40 1

DR . LA RDNER .

It having been I n those times (the age of Jesus ) a very c o m ~

mon Op i ni on that there were very many evil spirits in the

region o f t h e air it is not at all strange that m any people
,

sho uld live under apprehensions o fsuffering fro m the m And .

m any m ight be i nduced to ascribe t o su ch spirits and to their

p o wer and influence several indisp ositions and other calam ities
that h efel the m Moreover some persons of a speculative
.
,

an d philosophical te m per might t hi nk it best to cheri h t hi s s

opinion a m ong the p eople with a view to subserve divers ends

,

and pur poses whi ch th ey deemed in nocent and useful 5 one of

whi ch mi ght b e promoting the be li ef of t h e existence of spirits
o r invisible beings So m e there were as the Sadducees among
.
,

the Je w s who denied the exi stence o fangels and the souls of
,

men after death Th e Pharisees therefore and so m e others

.
, ,

m ight lay hold of and enco u rage the notion that many ,

b odily disorders w ere o w in g to evil spirits the b etter to ,

secure the p ersuasion of their real existence This therefore .

, ,

may help us to account for the prevalence o f thi s opinion ,

tho ugh it had n o good foundation .

It is not unreasonable to hold that the notion o f posses

sions was received by the Jews from the Chaldean o r Greek
phi losophers .

It does not appear that the common opin ion of possessions

has any countenance in th e O ld Testa m ent .

Possession by evil sp i rits is a thi n g in its elf absurd and

impossible 5 at the least unreasonable and im probable and ,

n o t to be supposed unless there be clear and full proof w hi ch ,

I t hi nk there is not .

R e al possessions seem inconsis tent with the goodness o f

Go d . Fo r let any man thin k w ith himself if i t be not a ,

strange and hard case for a m an to b e put into the power

o f evil spirits ,
o r for apostate angels o r other Im pure and ,

w i c ked spirits one Or more of the m to be allo wed to take

, ,

possession o fhim an d to teaze and torment hi m as they think

,

:2 D
 02 NE A NDER .

fit C an we fairly reconcile this t o the wisdom and equity o f

.

the D iv ine government ? Al l those persons wh o are S poken

o fas having demons o r an unclean spirit had so m e b odily
, ,

in di sposi tion N o r does it appear clearly from their history

.

that there was an ything beside such indispositions and that ,

disco mp osure o fmind whi ch u sually accomp anies them There .

were eminent persons in ancient times wh o were o fopin i on

that those call ed demoniacs were di seased o nl y Thi s has .

been the Opinion o fso m e j udi c ious thoughtful and pious men
,

o flate times . Th is Opinion is c o n fir med by S cripture which ,

“
describes Jesus as hea li n g these very persons : Who went
abo u t doing goo d and h ea lin g all t h at were oppressed o f the
”
devil ( Acts x 3 8 5 comp Ma t t iv
. . . .

It is n o unco mmon thi ng for opinions t o prevail in the

world which have no solid foundation How many have .

been disposed to ascrib e the diseases o fthe human body and ,

o t her disastrous events in the world to the planets o r other ,

s t ars l— L a r d n er s Wo r ks V o l I 4 4 9 seq L ondon : D o w d ing

’
, . .
, . .

PROFE S S OR N BA NDER .

D iseases o fthe mind in every age bear the stamp to some ,

d egree o fthe prevailing tendencies and ideas o fthe times 5

,

and those o f the de m oniacs reflected the p ecul iar and pre
dominant features o f the Jewish mind o f that age The .

wre t ched b eings s eemed to be hurried onward by a strange

and hostile p o w er that subj ugated their intellectual and moral
being and whose chief characteristic as displayed in their
, ,

paroxys m s was a wild and sav age destructiveness The Je w s

, .

explained these phe n omena according t o thei r o wn notions and ,

especially by the general opinion that man was surrounded

o n every side by the Operations o fevil spirits wh o were the ,

authors o f both moral and physical evil And as a fierce .

destructiveness was considered to be characteristic o f these

spirits the c ondition o fthe demoniacs w as ascribed to their
,

b eing possessed by o n e o r m ore Of them .

The d iseased persons themselve s involunt arily c o n ceived o f

 04 DE A N M IL MA N ’

,
R OW L A ND W ILL IAM S .

t r uth was inseparable from the fo r m I n which he conceived it 5

it w a s therefore necessary t o seize upon the latter in order t o
*
develop the former .

D E AN MIL MA N .

I have n o scr uple in avowing my opinion o n the subj ect o f

the demoniacs t o be that o fJoseph Mede L ardner D r Mead , ,
.
,

Paley and all the learned m odern writers It was a kind o f

, .

insanity n o t unlike ly to b e prevalent among a people p ec u

,

liarly subj ect to leprosy and o t her cutaneous diseases 5 and

nothing was more probable than that lunacy should take the
turn and speak the language o f the prevailing superstition o f
the times As the belief in witchcraft made p eople fancy
.

the m selves w itches so the belief in possession made men o f

,

diste mpered m inds fancy the m selves possessed .

—
The de m oniac mentioned in Matthew ( xii 2 2 2 9 ) seems .

to have suffered under infir mity rather than lunacy 5 the

a fll ic te d person was blind and du m b 5 but such cases were

equally applied t o malignant spirits There Is o n e very stro n g .

reason which m ay have contributed to indu ce Jesus t o adopt

the current language o n this point The d isbelief in these .

spiri tual influences was o n e o f the charac t eristic tenets o f

the unpopular sect Of the Sadducees A departure from the .

com m on language o r the endeavour t o correct the i n veterate

,
[

error would have raised an immediate outcry against him from

,

his watchful and m alignant adversaries as an u nbelieving ,

—
S adducee His to r y of C hr is t ia n i ty I 2 3 4
.
, . .

DR . R O W L A ND W ILL IAM S .

Many persons think that when w e read in the N ew Testa ,

m ent o fmen being possessed by d evils we ought to under ,

stan d the words in what is conceived t o be their most literal

sense 5 that is t o say that each sufferer was possessed by an
,

evil spiri t which should in each case be considered as distinct

,

a personal agent as the hum an being over whom he tyrannized .

The L if e ofJ e s u s C h is t by A ug u stus N ean d e ; t a sl at e d by Pr ofes so s

r , r r n r

M Clin t o ck an d B lu men th al p 1 5 5 seq L on d on : B oh n 1 8 5 3

’
,
.
,
.
,
.
 B IS H O P C OLEN S O . 405

Again o n t he other hand many sober inquirers conceive t h e

, ,

above view to b e open to strong obj ecti ons bot h as regards ,

the natu re o fthe evidence o n which it rests and the m oral

_ ,

con clusion to whi c h it leads They observe that all language .

must b e interpreted according to the general habi t s and con

c e p t i o n s of the persons us ing it ; that the phrase de m onia c
possession was commonly current in the ancient world to
denote any violent form o f di sease such as we n e w term ,

epilepsy o r mania 5 that m anifest traces o f this usage are

’

found in Greek medical writers 5 and then they conceive that

o ur S aviour instead of enterin g o n a hopeless argument with
,

the delusio ns o fa maniac re m oves by his gracious po wer the

,

very disease which was misin terpreted The con clusion then .

will be that the words put by th e sacred writers in the mouths

,

o fsupposed ev il spirits are merely the distorted utterances of

a shattered and b li nded mind 5 w hi le the conception by our !

Saviour o fthis p Op ul ar view o f the case will be merely an

acco m m odation (such as w e often find) of his own language
and gesture to the usages o fhis country and his time .

There are evil spirits of presu mption o f backsliding of , ,

doing w hat is right in o ur own eyes of irreverence the child , ,

o ffamili arity and o fa garrulous unreality in taki ng all holy

,

—
words an d thi ngs in vain Ra ti o n a l Go d lin ess S ermon XI , .

B IS H O P C OLEN S O .

fi f
T he D ev i l a g u r e o sp eech .

He that hath died hath b een set free from S i n ( R om vi 7 . .

D ean Al ford s translation) It is noticeable that St Paul in

’
. .

this passage does n o t represent death as a doom which God ,

—
i nfli cts upon the race innocent as they must be m ul titudes ,

o f them babes and others o f all w ilful S in

,
He carefully
,
.

guards his words fro m this It is sin the tyrant who in .

,

—
fl ict s i t not God the gracious F ather o fspirits 5 it is
,
“
the
” “ “ ”
devil who has the power o fdeath who keeps m any all
, ,

their life ti m e subj ect to bondage

-
O f course this p ers o n ifi
.
”

'

c a t io n of s i n i s bu t a fig ur e ofsp eech It implies that the .

40 6 B IS H O P C OLEN S O .

death o fthe human race is a co ns equen ce o fthe sin in their

nature according t o the moral order o fthe universe not a
, ,

d o o m which the Great and Blessed Go d wh o is called in ,

Scrip ture the F aithful Creator passes as a j udgment upon ,

”
, ,

his fallen creatures howe v er helpless and innocent o f real , ,

conscious g ui lt D eath in itselfis n o curse D eath was in

. .

'
the world for the c o un tless races o fan i mals and animalc ul es
ages before man s sin There was no sign o fa c ur se in their
’
.

death N o r wo ul d the death o f m an be attended with any

.

notion o fa curse attached to it but for the consciousness Of

sin But then c omes the L aw and brings home to o ur c o n
.

sciences the sense o fsin o fevil committed against the light ,

we had and before the face o fa mos t pure and ho ly Being

, .

And the devil the slanderer the accuser o f Go d and o ft h e

, ,

brethren makes us aware o fthis to fill o ur hearts with guil ty

,

fears which k eep us away from o ur F ather s footstool He

,
’
.

teaches us thus to connect the idea o f a curse with d eath .

And many go trembli ng along t h e path o flife with the gloomy ,

grave at the end o fit afraid to look the ghastly terror in the ,

face And so they t u rn their eyes ever to the ground as th ey

.

go and busy themselves with the petty things o fthis life its
, ,

business and pleasures that they may for the present forget ,

their fears instead o fmaking light o fdeath as they might

, , ,

as they ought and manfully pressin g to do the work o ftheir

,

L ord T he Ep is t le t o the Ro ma ns 1 8 6 1
.
-

,
.

The D ev il an a c to r in a s to r y : s o ci a l evi ls f
o eccles i as ti ca l

d emo n o log y .

With such examples as these before us we can scarcely ,

doubt that the legend in the text ( Matt iv — with its evil . .

spirit spe aking and visible carryin g o ur L ord throu h t h e

, ,
g

air j ust as we m ay read in many an O riental story —

,
settin g ,

hi m upon a pinnacle o fthe temple and then upon the ex ,

”
c e e din g high mountain fro m whi ch all the kingdoms o fthe ,
”
e arth could b e seen had a sim ilar origin in the imagination s
,

o f devout men The prevalence o fbelief in demoniac al

.
 08 H E OD ORE PA R KE R
T .

have been the c o nsequences when such view s hav e bee n

followed o ut t o their natural results and when that dire belief ,

in witchcraft and sorcery which We know prevails among t h e ,

Z ulus round us filled n o t long ag o the whole o f Christian

,

E urope with misery malignant hate and crimes o fthe blackes t , ,

dye committed fo r the love o fGo d in the name Of the pitiful

, , ,

compassionate Jesu s F o r as Mr L ecky tells us in his recent .

, .

work even Luther co ul d say

, I would have n o co m passio n
”
o n these witches 5 I wo ul d burn them all 5 while as he als o ,

tells us 7 0 0 0 victims are said t o have been burnt at Tr eves

, ,

6 0 0 by a sin gle bishop OfDum berg 8 0 0 in o n e year in t h e ,

diocese o fWurzburg 1 0 0 0 in the province o fC omo 4 0 0 at , ,

Toulouse in a single execution 5 0 0 in three months at Geneva , ,

4 8 at C onstance 8 0 at the little town o fValery in Savoy 7 0

, ,

in Sweden 5 and a single j udge named R emy boasted that h e , ,

himself had been the means o f putting t o death in sixteen

— —
years 8 0 0 witche s N a t a l S ermons XX XXII ,
. .

T H EOD ORE P A RKER .

The e cc les i a s ti c a l i d ea o f C o ol in v o lves t he D ev i l .

In the ecclesiastical conception o fGod there is a deep bac k

ground o fevil N o w and then the mysterious cloud is mira
.

c ul o u sly lifted and lets men see the mountain summits o f

,

anger vengeance j ealousy and hate and imagine the whol e

, , ,

chain o f malignity Andes an d Him alayas o fwrath hid n u , ,

d ern e at h the veil O ut o fthis dark mass o fevil in himself

.

— —
he created the devil absolutely evil and hell both t o la st ,

for ever each a finality The devil is also a child o fGod

,
.
,

but n o t acknowledged an outlying member o f the divin e ,

family t h e Ishmael o fthe u niverse his hand against Go d and

, , ,

God s against h im But after this mass o fe v il is subtracted

’
.

and embodied in the d evil it is plain that evil still p r ep o n ,

derates in the theological conception o fGo d fo r he does n o t

bring the human r ac e to a close but still goes o n creating n e w ,

“ “ ”
children o fwrath bowed down with the sin o f Adam s,
’

fall before their b ir th doomed t o etern al wretchedness He

,
.
 T H EOD ORE PA RKER . 409

might p ardon but he will not 5 stop creation but he keeps

, ,

the world going o n spawning whole shoals o fpeople w here

,

with to fatten hell 1 He m ight at least annihilate the d a m ned 5

bu t even t hat were to o merciful for hi s vi ndictive wrath '

they mu st writhe in their agony for ever

Yet though evil so far preponderates in the ecclesiastical idea
,

Of Go d as she w n in hi s condu ct some hu m ane m ercy is also

, ,

ascribed t o hi m with correspon di ng acts He wishes to save

, .

a few brands fro m the burning of t h e world to give some ,

other men glimpses o fa prospect Of escap e fro m ruin So he .

—
prepares a sche m e o fredemption for a few exceptions to
the ruin o fthe rest .

T he D evi l a m a rp lo t .

God cann ot acco m plish h s pur pos es 5 the devil his perpetual
i
,

enemy routs hi m in ev ery great battle and at last wil l fill

, ,

an immense hell w ith the d amned God does n o t kn ow how .

hi s o wn contrivance wi ll work until set a g e in g and th en it s ,

wheels do not run in human history as in the D ivine head .

”
Thus the fall of Adam is as m uch a surprise to Go d as to
man 5 o nl y the serp ent un derstood it b eforehand While God .

loves some he hates more Voluntarily he created the devil

,
.
,

who is now a being absolutely evil The devil is not merely .

a mistake and failure but an in t ended marplot o f the uni

.
,

verse a premeditated contradiction Thi s fly in the oin tment

,
.

o fthe apothecary does no good in heaven earth or hell and , ,

is devised and intended for no good help ing neither an y ,

benevolent purpose o fGo d nor the development of man ,

.

N o tr a ce f
oth e D evi l t o he fo u n d a n ywh ere .

The devil a personal being totally and absolutely evil

, , ,

with immense power which he uses to thwart God and r uin

men yo u find n o t o n the face o fthe earth to d ay no footsteps
,
-

o fhim in
“
the O ld R ed Sandstone not a track of hi s step ,
”

amid all the Vestiges o fthe N atural History of Creation 5

“

no detective police co ul d ever fin d the faintest scent of this

creature Ask the minister
.
“
Ho w do you know there is ,
 4 10 G E OR G E C OMB E .

such a devil ? and he answers It is a d o ctrin e o fthe divin e ,

and m iracul ous revelation ”

Ask again Ho w do yo u kn o w
.
,

the revelation is di vine and miracul ous from Go d ? and if ,

”

he b e an h o n cst man and understand hi s profession he will ,

say I do not kn o w 5 I only find it convenient t o as s ume it

, .

Wo r ks ; Tr ii bn er s e di tion
’
.

GE OR G E C OMB E .

Physi c a l an d m en t a l s ci en ce
p u ts S a t a n to f
li g ht .

In the sixteenth and se v enteenth centuries divines and the ,

p eople at large both in E ngland and Scotland were in full

, ,

possession o fthe Scriptures The R eformation was completed

.

and printing was in active operation 5 yet in those countries

clergymen sat as judges and condemned Old women t o the
,

flames as witches N o w what was the cause o fthis barbarity ?

.

At that time there was neither physical nor mental science 5

the phenomena o fnature were b elieved to b e under the in
fl u e n c e o fmagicians o f evil spirits o f the devil 5 and those
, ,

u nhappy victims o fignorance cruelty and superstition were , ,

b elieved t o b e in league wi th these powers o fdark ness It .

was the dawn o f physical philosophy which Opened up the

c reation t o the human intellect and revealed it as the vas t ,

domain o fGo d 5 whereas before that dawn ignoran t di vines , ,

with the Bible in their hands had mistak en it fo r the realm Of

,

the devil I t was science that delivered the clergy and their
.

flocks from the practice o f atrocious cruelties from which ,

the unaided Bible had n o t suf fi ced t o protect them I t is n o .

d isparagement t o the Bible t o say this because it was never ,

intended to supersede the study o fGo d s will as revealed in ’

the records Of creation 5 and in fallin g into superstition the ,

c lergy and people were s n fi erin the penalty f having omitted

g o

t o discharge that duty t o Go d and t o themsel v es — M or a l Ph i

l o sop hy p 4 2 3
, . 1840
. .
 12 THE R E A L P R IE S TS A D M ON I S H E D .

o r, which is pretty much the same thing the aggrandizement ,

o f the ope r the priest Whether pope priest prince

p o . o r , ,

populace it is all the same t o me 5 hating evil I p r e s c ribe it 5

, ,

lovi ng goo d I foster it And now then I hope it will b e

, .

clearly understood that I have described the innumerable

evils which S atanism has produc e d in order t o set m ankind ,

free from those terrible harpies Satanism once superseded .

,

man stands in the immediate presence o fhis Maker He has .

“
n o cover n o pretext n o excuse f
,
o r his misdee d s
,
Mea cul pa .
,
”
mea culpa ( M in e is the bla me min e is the bla me) he is co m , ,

p olled t o feel if not t o say N 0 lo n ger can he lay his wicked

,
.

ness t o my account n o longer can he impute it t o a taint o f

,

n ature o r t o the transgression o f t h e founder o f his family

,
.

Beari ng the responsibility he m u st bear the penalty also , .

Change your mind o r endure your punishment ,

This .

righteous law o fthe righteous Governor o f the universe he

in time finds n o less unchangeable than righteous S ubmis .

sion ensues and the person the tenor o f whose life was a
,

continual breach o fthe D ivine order enters into harmony ,

with it and in becoming obedient he becomes peaceful and

, , ,

may ascend even into spir itual beatitude The history o fo n e .

man is the history o fall men .

C an s o grand a resul t be made grander by Satanism What

then does the popular Satan but confound the great issues o f
the moral universe ? N o t a problem conn ected therewit h but
he confuses and dark ens He is indeed the o n e great stum .

bling b lock o fearth whilst he is also the thunder cloud which

-
,
-

o vershadows and dist urbs even heaven itself .

2 . To the Rea l Pr i es ts .

I d o n o t wish t o part with yo u in anger I have said plai n .

things o fyo u and t o yo u Yo u have done the same by me Per

. .

haps could we count and weigh offences those fo r which I a m

, ,

answerable are neither greater in number n o r more weighty .

However as I wish t o shake hands before we par t I ask

, ,

pardon ifI have been over severe D oubtless we shall meet -

.
 ro E XP L ODE S A TA N IS M Is TO B ENEF IT THE W ORLD . 41

—
again but in which w orld I w ill n o t presu m e to deter mine .

But where v e r it m ay be I should not like that either of us ,

should be full Of en m ity However to she w my goodwill I .

, ,

take my leave o fyou with a word o r t wo Of advice .

Beyond a doubt if my reign is over yours is coming to an

, ,

end When I am gone your case will be desperate And

.
,
.

going I reall y am D O you n o t see that whereas I used to

.
,

be everywhere now I am all but n o where The literary men

,
'

treat m e with the intense scorn o futter silen c e E ven in novels .

I am o fn o serv i ce Moral philosophy si mply ignores me . .

Men o f science s mile when my name is mentioned I am .

utterly banished from good society N o t even as an expletive .

—
is m y name used except it may be by thick headed squir es , ,
-

o r frequenters o f tap roo m s N ay all the higher religious

-
.
,

literature is e xempt from even an allusion to me I am h o w .

,

e ver t ur n e d t o so m e account in certain pulpits 5 but their quality

,

does but m easure t he thoroughness of my decay U nder these .

“
c ir c umstances I seriously advise you to renounce the devil
,

and all his works not in word but in deed D epend upon
”
, , .

it if you c li n g to m e much longer yo u w ill not save me fro m

, ,

t h e approaching billows but ine vita bly yo u will b e sub m erged ,

y ours e lves F arewell 5 I.hear the so u ghi n g o fthe incoming

ocean : save yourselves F arewell ! .

3 . M y c la im on t h e g r a t i tu d e f
ot h e hu m a n r a ce .

If I know myself I have n o t in preparin g these Me m oirs

, ,

fo r the press been actuated by any form o fgross selfishness

, .

I shall not then tarnish m y repute with posterity by here at

the last putting forward any claim to superior merit But I .

d o ask fo r gratitude I have certainly aimed to render so m e

.

serv ice to mankind I have witnessed the crushing load of .

evil under which they groaned of yore through the use that
was m ade of m e and m y alleged appurtenances I leave the .

world in a measure relieved To that m ost desirable result .

this Autobiography will I hope conduce in so m e m easure , , .

If the n I am n o t mistaken I have conferred some good o n

, , ,
4 14 THE S AV IO UR C O M E S .

the hum an race L et it be ac knowledged 5 n ot o n my accoun t

.
,

for I have no longer any vivid interest in anything done

under the sun but as a proof that at any rate the vice o f
, .

Ingra t itude n o longer infests the world That extinct a preg .

,

nant excuse fo r believing in my existence will exist n o longer .

The service I have rendered ( if any ) I have no wish t o ,

e xaggerate . The m onstrositie s occasioned thr ough me by my

a bettors denote and measure the amount o f distress and woe
,

men have in c onsequence endur e d AS is the malignity o f

the d is ease s o is the b enefit o f th e cure E very prece di ng
,
.

page declar es the t wo either i mplicitly o r explicitly .

4 . The Ep i c c lo s es .

Yes 1 nothing less than the grand and a wful co nfl ict w hi ch

has from the earliest ages proceeded o n this gl obe between
g o od and evil conscience
,
and ill regulated desire obedience -

a n d disobedience regard to God s eternal laws an d d is regard

’

o fthem ,
have we gentle R eader b een surveying under the
, ,

o l d an d once recogni z ed antithesis o f

GOD an d S ATA N ,

from which the latter memb er has been eliminated leaving ,

God and Go d alone as the o n e Supreme Creator Governor

, , ,

and B enefactor o fthe universe Yet the ancient contrariety .

,

changed in form remains in substanc e and must remain u ntil

, , ,

sin and death man s grea t and last ene mies are slain when
,
’

, ,
”
“ God sha
ll b e all in all ( 1 C o r x v 2 4 seq ) Mean while . .
, ”
,

alas for those that withstand the D ivine will and power ,

whether by takin g part with m oral evil o r by givi ng s u pport ,

to theological falsity Yet they too w il l fin ally b e made con

current elements in the u ni versal harm ony 5 even ifnecessary , ,

by the severest discipline 5 for the Alm ighty F ather cann ot ,

and w ill not b e foiled in hi s purposes o f love toward his

,

chil dren o fthe hu m an race .

Th e S avi o ur c om es by an cien t b a d s f o etold

r r

H ear him, ye d f d ll y bli d b h ld 1

ea an a e n , e o

He f r om i ck th fil m h ll p g t h i u l y
s s a ur e e v s a ra ,
4 16 S ATA N S END
’
.

that wic k edness is self destructive infatuation An d s o though

-
.
,

I still linger o n in life I know that my days are n um ,

=

*
bered .

5 . Gr ea t P a n i s d ea d
Ep it h as es ,
pupil o fC leo mbro tu s having ac cordin g t o Plu , ,
=

tar c h emb arked with several others o n board a vessel in order

,

to sail to Italy found hi mself in a dead calm near o n e o fthe

,

islands o fthe PEg ean Sea W hil e most o fthe passengers were.

indulging in wine after supper a voice was suddenly heard ,

from the island It call ed o u t the nam e o fthe pilo t Thomas

.
, ,

so loud as t o alarm every o n e in t h e ship The pilot n o t .

having replied the sa m e voice only in a louder and more

, ,

p enetrating tone bade him o n reaching a certain port announce

,

these wor d s GRE A T PAN Is DE A D

Amaze m ent brought a nu m ber o fpersons around Tho m as .

Wh at would he do ? What ought to be done ? A kind o f

spontaneous council resolved that if t h e wind was strong
enough t o carry the vessel beyond the island the fact sho u ld ,

be accounted a divine in di cation that the voice was no il lu

sion The wind sank more and more as the ship neared the
.

island and at last passing o n gently glided into the intended

, , ,

port N o sooner was the anchor cast than Thomas shouted

.

o ut ,

GRE A DE A D T PAN IS !

The words echo ed fro m the vessel to the shore from the ,

shore to the neighbouring range o f hills 5 from the hills it

ran through the vales The vales se n t it into the vill ages and
.
,

the villages united to transmit it t o the capital where it was ,

ta ken u p and reverberated by man wo m an and child all over , ,

the surface o f the city until the sounds gath ered into o n e
,

a ssemblage which proclaimed in tones o fthunder the fearful

word :
GRE A P
T A N Is DE A D !

The pro clamation was followed by waili ngs and groanings

innumerable until the air was filled w ith grief an d wo e when
, ,

Ar yan Myt h ol ogy, by R ev . G W C ox ,

. . II . 3 65 .
 OL D S ATA N IS M A ND NEW TH OU GH T . 41 1
P

of a sudden a dens e and widely spread cloud arose whi ch -

shrou d ed the heavens above and made dark night universal .

Thi s ancient legend betokens the intense attach m ent w hich

the sons o fm en have fel t for me The product o ftheir o wn .

i n firm it ie s I have been the obj ect Of their love and even of
,

their worship L iving in those their deep and inera dicable

.
,

affections I have been able to disregard decay and defy dis

,

solution But the breezes o fa n ew spirit are beginni ng to

.

blow The vessel in whi ch I sail is carried p ast the sleepy

.

island and already s h e is stan din g out into the main of h um an

,

intelligence and pure religion The air is too aerial and ela stic .

for my lungs I fetch m y br eath with difficul ty and already

.
,

am so m uch reduced in strength that I can only murmur o ut ,

the announcement ,

GRE A T PAN IS DE AD !
Fare well my chil dr en You have become adul t and hence
,
.
,

forwards will d o far better withou t m e than you did while

under my inspiration F arewell farew ell
S A TA N .

Sin s sic an awfu thi ng An d I hae sinn ed sae often and

’ ’

sae lang that maybe He ll be forced efter a to sen me t o the

,
’ ’ ’

”
botto ml ess pit .

“
Hoot hoot Tam as di nna s p eyk sic aw fu thin gs said
, ,
’ ’

“
D ow Th ey re d r eadfu to hearken till I s w arran He s as
’ ’ ’ ’ ’

—
. .

”
ki n h ert il as yers el
’
.

I said he m ight be for ced to sen me efter a

,
’
.

“
What Tam as cried Cupples
,
He c d
u n a save ye
’
! .

W i the S o n and the Sp e erit to help him ? and a willi n hert

’ ’

in you forbye ? F egs ! ye hae a greater opinion 0 S awt an ’

nor I gied ye the discredit

N a na 5 it s nae S awt an It s mysel I wadna lay m air
,
’
.
’ ’
.

wyte upo S awta n s Shouthers nor s his ain He has eneuch

’ ’ ’
.

already puir fallow ,

4 18 KEE P Y OUR M IND O P EN .

‘
Ye ll be 0 aul d R obbie Ra rn s s opinion that he aiblins
’ ’ ’
,

micht still hae a

N a na 5 he has na ne
,
Burns was nae prophet
. .

—
Bu t j is t suppose Tam as gin the de il was t o repent
,
’ ’
.

Man exclaimed the stonemas on risin g t o hi s full height , ,

“
with slow l ab our after the day s toil it wad be cruel to gar ’

hi m repent I t wad be ower sair upon hi m Better kill h im

. . .

The bitterness o sic rep entance wad b e o wer terrible It

’
.

wad be m air n o r he cud bide It wad brak hi s hert a t h egit h er .

’
.

N a na he has nae chance

, ,
.
”

“
Ho o ken ye that ? asked Cupples ”
.

‘
There s no sic word i t h e S crip t ur e
’ ’
.

D o ye think He maun tell us a thing ?

’

We hae nae richt t o thi nk o n ythin g that He d o esn a

”
te ll s’
.

I m nae sae sure 0 that Tam as

’
’
Maybe whiles he ,
’
.
, ,

does na tell s a t hi ng j ist t o gar s thin k about it and be re ady

’ ’

for th e time whe n he tell s — Geo rg e M a cd o n a ld

’
.
”
.

F I N IS .

Pi
r n te d by C . G re e n 8: S o n , 1 7 8 , S t ran d .