DEMONS,

II. Peter 2: 4; Jude 6. We are taught all the way through the word of God that there is a world of spirits. It is implied that there is a unity between the spiritual world and the material. Otherwise how could Christ be mediator? We are dealing with questions we know little about; but here are hints. Christ's kingdom comprises not only good men but all the holy angels.. There must be communication between the two parts of his kingdom. Death is nothing to Christ. He has abolished it. It is not an obstacle even. The communion of the kingdom of Christ is independent of death. This part is clear. But what of those spirits who go to the dark places? What of the fellowship of those? There are many here with whom we would not care to have fellowship. Their influence would be bad.. But when released from physical conditions, what then? There would then be no physical restraint. Does the Lord Jesus rule the hells, as Swedenborg teaches? Has he authority over the different societies of evil? We may think that there are laws of association among the evil as well as among the good.

Some of the spirits, more sensual than others, seek to find conditions of flesh such as they most like. Can they come back and possess men's bodies? It seems

in one case (Mark 5) as though a whole society of evil spirits were trying to possess the nervous system of one man. And they did not want to go into the disembodied state-the abyss is darkness. They desired rather to go into the swine, where they could still eat and drink and be in fleshly conditions. The Jews lost their swine, the devils lost their chance, and the swine lost their lives. There seems to be justice in it all round. The swine could not stand it. There seems to be a funny side to it, but we must tread this ground with reverence. We must put off the shoes of our preconceived opinions and come to the Lord with humble simplicity to see what he will give us. The poor man to whom we have referred seems to have had two sets of consciousness. Sometimes he speaks out of his own consciousness, and again the evil spirits speak through him. Let us follow up this subject.

The age in which Jesus came was the culminating age of evil. But the armies of evil forces are at work still. People should be careful how they deal with these unseen forces.

Our subject is Daimon (demon) or Daimonion. It 'will be well for us to study the use of these words in the Septuagint and the Hebrew words of the same meaning. We should also notice the use of the same words by the ancient Greeks.

There is a difference between Daimon and Diabolos, .and they should not have been represented by the same word in English. Daimon should not be translated "devil" but "demon." Ho Diabolos, the devil, in the plural, "slanderers."

Matthew 10: 8. A part of Christ's commission to

his apostles was the authority to "cast out devils.” This commission was given before Christ had all power on earth. It was while he was but yet Lord of the Jews. He gave a commission as far as his power extended. Afterward he gave a greater one. First, they went to preach to the Jews only; afterward he said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel. to every creature."

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'By whom do your children cast them out?" (Matt. 12: 27.) The children of the Pharisees did cast out demons. In the name of Jehovah, demons were cast out, as afterward the name of Jesus was the power by which it was done.

There were demons in the religion of the Greeks. and other heathens. "They sacrifice to devils." (I..

Cor. 10: 20, 21.)

Rome made provision for the gods of every peopleshe conquered, and thus became a city of demons. (Rev. 9: 20.)

The demoniac influence is the holy ghost of heathenism. That was the inspiration which carried them beyond themselves.

The seat of heathenism was in the Euphrates region. "The sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up.. And I saw three unclean spirits." (Rev. 16: 12-14.). Heathenism lost its power. The influence of its teachings and its tyranny were done away.

The three unclean spirits represent three kinds of evil influence. In the study of this subject will come the expression "unclean spirits”—“pneumata akatharta.”

"I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." (Luke 10: 18.) Satan is the lord of the demons. But Christ gives control over all the power of the enemy. After Christ was risen all power in earth and heaven was given him, and he was then Lord of all. He stepped into Adam's place.

"Them which were vexed with unclean spirits." (Acts 5 16.) And the apostles healed them. These are strange things to us, and it is difficult for us to realize because the power of Jesus in Christianity has been so complete. We are for the most part delivered from devils. evil. Casting out unclean spirits were among Christ's greatest cures. There are four particular cases. (Mark 1: 23.) En pneumatı akatharti; in an unclean spirit. As God spake in the prophets, and God spake in his Son. There is a more intimate relationship than companionship. Here there was one spirit in another spirit, as one gas may be in another. You can take a pint of oxygen and put a pint of nitrogen into it.

We believe too little respecting the world of

"Ea" is an exclamation of pain and terror, we think. The spirits knew Jesus and cried out. But he would not suffer the testimony of the infernal. It would not have had a good influence. Christ did not come to repeat the terror of Sinai. He came with the love of the Father, and he did not want the influence of the terrors of the lost. (Mark 3: 11; 3: 2; 7: 25.) Mark, writing for Romans, has much to say about demons because he was dealing with heathens. (Mark 9: 25) Here is perfect faith speaking to weak faith. Faith gives the soul power over evil. This is an

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example of faith-cure. There are different kinds of evil spirits. This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting." Prayer concentrates the powers of the spirit, and fasting leaves all quiescent.

Thus far we have learned that there are several kinds of evil spirits. What particular kind of spirit was it that the disciples could not cast out? It seems as though there was an idea in the fact that it had power to lay hold upon childhood. Children are spoken of in the gospel as being under special protection. Here is an evil spirit having power to force back guardian angels and take possession of the body. Yet it might have been a boy who had injured himself by lust or may have inherited it. But however it may be, this kind of evil spirits had power to lay hold upon childhood. We know little about it in this part of the world.

"There went virtue out of him and healed them all." (Luke 6: 18.) Christ went to God for the supply of that healing power. May not any Christian do so? It took the touch of faith to receive that power, as in case of the woman having an issue.

Under this head is mention of "them who are crowded with unclean spirits." "Okloumenoi." There seems to have been a whole school of devils upon them. We may think that some spirits take possession of some parts of the man and others of other parts.

If we could realize that there is a world of evil forces it would give us greater power in the work. The good that rules is first with us and it is the fashion to dwell upon that. These evil forces are incidently spoken of in the Bible and this leads many into doubt as to