FIFTH CHAPTER

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THE DEVIL AND AFFLICTIONS

ND now that the real source of afflictions, as plainly revealed in the New Testament, may be clearly apprehended by the reader and deeply impressed on his mind and heart, we shall bring together the chief Scriptures which directly and definitely declare the fact, that they all come from the devil.

'Jesus of Nazareth, whom God anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him' (Acts x. 38). Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is the devil' (Heb. ii. 14). He that doeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil' (1 John iii. 8). 'Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life' (Rev. ii. 10).

There is no vagueness or indefiniteness in these wonderful declarations; they are all as luminous as

sunshine, and their meanings unmistakable. And so far as we know, there are no other New Testament Scriptures which in any degree modify their teachings. They tell us plainly, that all afflictions are the doings of the devil, and that death also is his work. As natural ills are the outcome of moral evil, and as sin had its origin in the Wicked One, therefore (when specifically dealt with in the New Testament) all forms of affliction are rightly traced back to their primary source in Satan. 'Sin is of the devil,' and all distresses and troubles are issues of sin.

Can any intelligent Christian read and ponder these passages, and still continue to cling to the imagination that all afflictions come from God? They surely cannot come from Him and from the devil at one and the same time, and be also simultaneously both good and bad in their nature and influence? Take note of this fact, that while

Jesus healed all that were oppressed of the devil, God was with him.' 'The Father,' He said, 'doeth his works'. Was God, then, the destroyer of the afflictions which He Himself had sent as blessings ? Let this question be fully faced and thoughtfully pondered, and the reader will clearly apprehend how impossible it is rightly to regard all afflictions as coming from God. We can easily suppose that many persons who have firmly held the old notion that God sent them-in spite of the numerous per

plexities which it suggests-may be ready to exclaim: 'I would rather receive afflictions from God than from the devil.' Very likely. But truth and fact are not determined by personal preferences, but by the teachings of the Divine Word. What saith the Scriptures? ought to be the question of every Christian when facing the problems of moral and spiritual life. And if any one should still cling to the idea that afflictions are sent by God, let him act consistently, and believe that they all come from Him-the greatest as well as the least. Terrible things are constantly happening, which even the boldest believers would surely hesitate to attribute to God. In such cases they may modify their belief, and say that,' He permits them.' But is that true? We must answer both Yes and No. It is true that all His children, being under the universal reign of law, are left to its influence and action in afflictions; He does not intervene, and in this way permits them. But in the sense of sanctioning them, and thereby making them His own doings, He does not permit them. Afflictions are sometimes startlingly sudden and severe, and not infrequently end in death; and the trials, sorrows and burdens which at times they bring into family life are most distressing. And then, accidents of a fearful sort also happen. For instance, as we recently read, a little girl tried to run across the road from her own home, and was killed by a motor-car. Her mother,

looking out of the window, saw the accident, and nearly lost her sanity in consequence; while the father, who was weak in health, shortly after died because of the shock he had received. We reverently inquire, Did God permit all these happenings ? Were they His doings? From the daily Press of the last few months, we could easily gather many instances of an equally appalling nature; but we forbear in mercy to our readers. If all afflictions come from God, the worst cases must be included in the list; and even to think of their being permitted by Him, in the way of sanctioning them, is surely to do God a great injustice, and unnecessarily to perplex and burden thousands of weak human sufferers. If God did not sanction the coming of moral evil into the world, what reason is there for believing that He sanctions natural ills which are its legitimate issues? Both the cause and its effects are out of harmony with the Divine will and purpose.

Just after writing the foregoing sentences, we read in a London weekly the following statement made by a country squire to a curate: "You believe in, and proclaim, a merciful and tender God. If there is a God, He has not dealt tenderly with me. Every hope I ever had has been quenched. My afflicted daughter is the last tie that binds me to life, and that will soon be snapped. How can you, or any man, expect me to worship a God who has treated me so?" Every preacher of the Gospel

has to meet cases of this kind, and if he himself thinks that all afflictions come from God, what can he possibly say in reply? There are multitudes of anguished sufferers in great affliction and pain, or under sore bereavement, who if told that these were the manifestations of Divine wisdom and love would be perplexed and depressed beyond measure, and might even be in danger of losing faith in God altogether. In these circumstances, faith has often been confounded even when it has not been destroyed. Again we affirm that all afflictions in themselves are evils, and evils only; therefore, everybody acts wisely who seeks to get rid of them as quickly as possible. At the same time all of them can be sanctified and changed into blessings, by the grace of God; for we know that to them that love God all things work together for good.'

There is a dark side to human life, and frequently, in personal experience, it is dark indeed; and there is also a bright side to all who recognize it, and are willing to live and act under its influence. Let them be contrasted.

The devil and all his of mankind-deceivers Demoniacal and human

Think first of the former. angels are active enemies and destroyers of our race. temptations often lead to sinful falls and manifold miseries; sins and afflictions are causes and effects; accidents and calamities are results of the violation of natural laws, consciously or unconsciously com