"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according
to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
--_Isaiah_ 8:20.
Some years before this Elsie had built a little church on the
plantation, entirely at her own expense, for the use of her dependents
and of her own family when sojourning at Viamede. The membership was
composed principally of blacks.
A few miles distant was another small church of the same denomination,
attended by the better class of whites; planters and their families.
To these two congregations conjointly Mr. Mason had ministered for a
long while, preaching to the one in the morning, to the other in the
afternoon of each Sabbath.
He had, however, been called to another field of labor, a few weeks
previous to the arrival of our friends, leaving the two congregations
pastorless, and the pretty cottage built for him at Viamede without a
tenant.
Still they were not entirely without the preaching of the word, now one
and now another coming to supply the pulpits for a Sunday or two.
At present they were filled by a young minister who came as a candidate,
and whose services had been engaged for several weeks.
Elsie and her family were paying no visits now in this time of mourning,
but nothing but sickness, or a very severe storm, ever kept them from
church. They attended both services, and in the evening the older ones
gathered about the table in the library with their Bibles, and, with
Cruden's Concordance and other helps at hand, spent an hour or more in
the study of the word.
"Mamma," said little Rosie, one Sunday as they were walking slowly
homeward from the nearer church, "why don't we have a minister that
believes the Bible?"
"My child, don't you think Mr. Jones believes it?"
"No, mamma," most emphatically, "because he contradicts it; he said
there's only one devil, and my Bible says Jesus cast out devils--seven
out of Mary Magdalen, and ever so many out of one man, besides other
ones out of other folks."
"And last Sunday, when he was preaching about Jonah, he said it was a
wicked and foolish practice to cast lots," remarked Harold, "while the
Bible tells us that the Lord commanded the Israelites to divide their
land by lot, and that the apostles cast lots to choose a successor to
Judas."
"Yes," said Violet, "and when Achan had sinned, didn't they cast lots to
find out who it was that troubled Israel?"
"And to choose a king in the days of the prophet Samuel," added their
older sister. "How strange that any one should say it was a foolish and
wicked practice!"
"I don't think his mother can have brought him up on the Bible as ours
does us," remarked Herbert.
"Mamma, which are we to believe," asked Rosie, "the minister or the
Bible?"
"Bring everything to the test of scripture," answered the mother's
gentle voice. "'To the law and the testimony: if they speak not
according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.' I want
you to have great respect for the ministry, yet never to receive any
man's teachings when you find them opposed to those of God's holy word."
When the Bibles were brought out that evening, Isa proposed that they
should take up the question of the correctness of that assertion of Mr.
Jones which had led Rosie to doubt his belief in the inspiration of the
Scriptures.
"Yes, let us do so," said her uncle. "It is an interesting subject."
"Yes, I think it is," said Molly; "but do you consider it a question of
any importance, uncle?"
"I do; no Bible truth can be unimportant. 'All scripture is by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may
be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.' And if we have
spiritual foes we surely need to know it, that we may be on our guard
against them."
"And we have not been left without warning against them," observed old
Mr. Dinsmore. "'Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places.' How absurd the idea that principalities and powers can
mean but one creature!"
"David prays, 'Lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies'; and
again, 'Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies,
make thy way straight before my face,'" said Mrs. Travilla. "It seems
evident to me that it was spiritual foes he meant; that he feared to be
left a prey to their temptations, their deceit, the snares and traps
they would set for his soul."
"Undoubtedly," returned her father. "On any other supposition some of
the psalms would seem to be very bloodthirsty and unchristian."
"I rather took Mr. Jones to task about it as we came out of church,"
said old Mr. Dinsmore, "and he maintained that he was in the right on
the ground that the name devil comes from the Greek Diabolos, which is
applied only to the prince of the devils."
"And what of that?" said his son; "the Hebrew name, Satan, has the very
same signification--an adversary, an accuser, calumniator or
slanderer--and Christ called the devils he had just cast out, Satan:
'How can Satan cast out Satan? If Satan rise up against himself, and be
divided, he cannot stand.' If they are so like him, so entirely one with
him, as to be called himself--and that by Him who has all knowledge and
who is the Truth--I cannot see that there is any occasion to deny them
the name of devil, or anything to be gained by doing so; while on the
other hand there is danger of positive harm, as it seems to throw doubt
and discredit upon our English translation."
"A very serious responsibility to assume, since the vast majority of the
people must depend upon it," remarked Mrs. Travilla. "I think any one
who makes the assertion we are discussing should give a very full
explanation and strong warning against the lesser evil spirits we call
devils. 'If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?'"
"Yes," said her father, "and I have very strong faith in the learning,
wisdom and piety of the translators."
"Is Satan a real person? and were the devils whom Christ and his
disciples cast out, real persons?" asked Isadore. "I have heard people
talk of Satan as if he were an imaginary creature, a myth; and of the
others, with which persons were possessed in those days, as probably
nothing more than bad tempers."
"'To the law and to the testimony,'" replied her uncle, opening his
Bible. "We will consider your questions in the order in which they were
asked. 'Is Satan a real person?' There can be no difficulty in proving
it to any one who believes the Bible to be the inspired word of God; the
difficulty is rather in selecting from the multitude of texts that teach
it."
Some time was now spent in searching out, with the help of Bible Text
Book and Concordance, a very long list of texts bearing on the
question--giving the titles, the character and the doings of Satan;
showing that he sinned against God, was cast out of heaven; down to
hell; that he was the author of the fall; that he perverts scripture;
opposes God's work; hinders the Gospel; works lying wonders; that he
tempted Christ; is a liar and the father of lies; is a murderer; yet
appears as an angel of light.
"Here," said Mr. Dinsmore, "is a summing-up of what he is, by Cruden,
who was without question a thorough Bible scholar; and remember, as I
read it, that the description applies not to Satan alone, but also to
those wicked spirits under him. 'He is surprisingly subtile; his
strength is superior to ours, his malice is deadly; his activity and
diligence are equal to his malice; and he has a mighty number of
principalities and powers under his command!'"
"Yes," said old Mr. Dinsmore, meditatively, "'the rulers of the darkness
of this world,' the word is plural: it seems there must be several
orders of them, composing a mighty host."
"I find both my queries already fully answered," said Isa.
"Nevertheless, let us look a little farther into that second question,"
her uncle answered. "I will give the references as before, while the
rest of you turn to and read them."
When this had been done, "Now," said he, "let us sum up the evidence as
to their personality, character, works, and right to the name of devil."
"As to the first they sinned: hell is prepared for them: they believe
and tremble: they spoke: knew Christ and testified to his divinity,
'Jesus, thou son of God.' 'I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of
God.' Wicked tempers could not do any of these things. As to the second,
their character, they are called in the Bible 'unclean spirits,' foul
spirits; and since Christ called them Satan himself, the description of
his character, as I have before remarked, is a faithful description of
theirs also. This last proves also their right to the title of devil.
The scripture--Christ himself--calls them the devil's angels, his
messengers; for that is the meaning of angel, they do Satan's behests,
go on his errands and help him in the work of destroying souls and
tempting and tormenting those whom they cannot destroy.--Well, Vi, what
is it?" For she had given him a perplexed, troubled look.
"There is just one difficulty that I see, grandpa. Here in Jude we are
told, 'And the Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their
own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness
unto the judgment of the great day.' The apostle Peter says the same
thing. My difficulty is to reconcile this statement with the other
teaching--that they are going about the world on their wicked, cruel
errands."
"To the law and to the testimony," repeated Mr. Dinsmore. "Since the
infallible word of God makes both statements, we must believe both,
whether we can reconcile them or not; but I doubt not we shall be able
to do so if we diligently search the word with prayer for the teachings
of the Holy Spirit."
He then offered a short, fervent petition to that end; after which they
resumed their investigation.
"Let us remember," he said, "that the same word often has many
significations, and that hell may be a state or condition rather than a
place--I mean that the word may be sometimes used in that sense: so with
chains and with darkness."
"We use the expression, 'the chains of habit,'" suggested his daughter;
"a spirit could not be bound with a material chain; but in Proverbs we
are told, 'His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he
shall be holden with the cords of his sins.' Think of the awful
wickedness and utter despair of those lost spirits--no space for
repentance, no hope or possibility of salvation--and I think we have
chains on them of fearful weight and strength."
"The cords of sin are the consequences of crimes and bad habits. Sin
never goes unpunished, and the bad habits contracted are, as it were,
indissoluble bands from which it is impossible to get free," read Mr.
Dinsmore from the Concordance, adding, "and to those lost spirits it is
_utterly_ impossible; yes, here in their wicked tempers, malignant
desires and utter despair, we have, I think, the chains that bind them."
"But the darkness, grandpa?" queried Harold.
"We are coming to that. Cruden tells us here that darkness sometimes
signifies great distress, perplexity and calamity; as in Isa. 8:22, Joel
2:2. Sometimes sin or impurity, 1 John 1:5. The devil have all these;
how great is their sin, how great must be their distress and anguish in
the sure prospect of eternal destruction from the presence of God,
eternal torment! dense and fearful must it be beyond the power of words
to express! They are darkness, for our Saviour calls the exercise of
Satan's power 'the power of darkness.' 'This is your hour and the power
of darkness.' By the gates of hell, Matt. 16:18, is meant the power and
policy of the devil and his instruments. It would seem that they carry
their chains, their darkness, their hell with them wherever they go. And
now for the application, the lesson we should learn from all this: what
do you think it is, Harold?"
"That we should be constantly on our guard against the wiles of these
adversaries, is it not, sir?"
"Yes, and ever looking to the captain of our salvation for strength and
wisdom to do so effectually."
"Putting on the whole armor of God," added old Mr. Dinsmore; "the shield
of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit which is the
word of God. What else, Herbert?"
"The breast-plate of righteousness, sir; and the loins are to be girt
about with truth, the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace."
"There is yet another lesson," said Mrs. Travilla, her face all aglow
with holy joy and love, "how it should quicken our zeal for the Master,
our gratitude, our joy and love, when we think of his salvation offered
to us as his free gift the purchase of his own blood, when he might
justly have left us in the same awful state of horror and despair that
is the portion of the angels that sinned. And how should we cling to him
who alone is able to keep us from falling into the traps and snares they
are constantly spreading for our unwary feet. Ah, my dear children,
there is no safety but in keeping close to Christ!"
"But there we are safe," added her father: "'he is able also to save
them to the uttermost that come unto God by him.' He says of his sheep,
'I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand.' He saves his people from sin,
from hell and destruction."
"Can't we find some texts about the good angels?" asked little Rosie,
who had been permitted to sit up beyond her usual bedtime to share in
the Bible lesson.
"Yes," said her grandpa, "we may be thankful for them, because they are
kind and good and loving, taking delight in our salvation and in
ministering to God's people, as they did to the Master when on earth.
Which of you can name some instances given in the Bible?"
"One fed Elijah when he fled from wicked Jezebel," answered Rosie,
promptly.
"They carried Lazarus to heaven," said Herbert.
"And stopped the lions' mouths when they would have eaten Daniel," added
Harold.
The others went on, "One comforted Paul when he was in danger of
shipwreck."
"One delivered Peter from prison."
"Now who can quote a promise or assurance that we, if the true children
of God, shall have help or protection from them?"
"'He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy
ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot
against a stone!'" repeated the younger Elsie, and her mother added in
low, sweet tones, full of joy and thankfulness, "'The angel of the Lord
encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.' Is it
not a sweet assurance?" she exclaimed: "he is not a transient visitor,
but encamps as intending to remain; and not upon one side alone, leaving
the others exposed to the enemy, but round about. Blessed are they who
have the Lord of hosts for their Keeper!"
They united in a song of praise, old Mr. Dinsmore led in prayer, then
with an exchange of affectionate good-nights they separated.
"Mamma," said the younger Elsie, lingering for a little in her mother's
boudoir, "to-night's study of the word has done me good. I want to live
nearer to Jesus, to love him more, to serve him better."
"I too," said Violet. "I want to give him the service of my whole heart
and life, time, talents, money, everything!"
"It rejoices my heart to hear it, my darlings," the mother answered,
folding them in her arms, while glad tears shone in her eyes; "it is
what I desire above all things for you, for all my dear ones, and for
myself."