Introduction to Part II
Having now spent some time in setting
forth the beauties of the Holy Spirit it seems good that I
should now give an exegesis of evil spirits; for I feel it
my duty, as much as lies in me, both to exalt the good,
and abase the evil; to extol the right, and decry the
wrong.
Everything may be viewed from a
positive and a negative standpoint, and as the foregoing
pages have been given to the positive side of the way of
truth we shall give the following pages to negative
researches. The reader may find some things in the
following pages which he will disagree with, or dislike;
but I shall not withhold the counsel of God for any man's
private opinion. It is my determination to tell the truth
and to leave results with God.
Satan has long ago learned that all
people cannot be led into wrong doing with their eyes
open, consequently has invented marry deceptive schemes by
which he blinds the eyes of those he seeks to lead astray.
The hosts of Satan having been defeated and put to
confusion by the resurrection and triumphant victory of
the redemption plan, the course infernal quickly set to
work to devise some way of overthrowing the works of God.
A decision was soon reached by the infernal counsel that
martyrdom would be the most successful plan; whereupon
Satan sent hasty messages to the utmost bounds of his
domain that the children of God should be imprisoned,
beheaded, burned at the stake, and put to death in every
conceivable manner, that the work of God might be stopped.
Under this infernal decree over fifty millions of God's
people were put to death, and yet the triumphant tread and
onward march of the Victor of earth and hell was not
checked. When one brave hero fell by Satan's hand, others
who beheld his triumphant death were converted to God, and
Satan's plans failed to stop the work of God.
Upon the failure of this scheme the
courts of hell again assembled to seek a better means of
attack. This time all agreed to change their tactics, and
instead of violence to use cunning devices. Said they,
"We will breathe an infernal stupor over all the
earth, which will produce a careless sleep, after which we
can array ourselves in gay clothing and steal into the
camp of the saints while none are aware." At this
suggestion the arches of hell reechoed with cheers from
the infernal hosts at the thought of coming victory; and a
myriad of imps, each clad with an armor to suit his
respective work, set out for the camp of God.
This is the plan that Satan is
working on today; he has ceased to use force, and seeks to
deceive. This scheme has worked, and is working much
better than martyrdom. Deception and spiritual lethargy
have slain more souls than ever were slain by martyrdom.
Satan now arrays himself in the robes of hypocrisy,
spiritualism, hypnotism, mesmerism, sectarianism, and
thousands of other deceptive attires, and "walks
about" as "an angel of light,"
"seeking whom he may" deceive. It is now time
for every child of the Highest to gird on "the whole
armor of God" and rush to the conflict, determined to
triumph or die. Let us wake the sleeping nations, who
slumber under Satan's spell, by repeated blasts from the
trumpet of eternal truth; and vanquish the infernal hosts
or spill the last drop of royal blood. When I behold the
many deceptive schemes of Satan and see my fellow men
duped by the thousands, and realize how few I can save, I
tremble beneath the burden and cry to God to help to
rescue the perishing.
We shall endeavor in the few
following pages to expose and overthrow the plans of hell,
and prepare the reader to meet the devil in a few of his
most subtle attacks. "For our conflict is not with
flesh and blood, but with principalities, and with those
in authority, and with the possessors of this dark world,
and with the EVIL SPIRITS THAT ARE BENEATH HEAVEN."
Eph. 6:12. Syriac.
