CURRENT LITERATURE.
The Satan of Scripture. By a Clergyman. (Smith and Elder.)—The author writes with evident earnestness of conviction, and is impressed with the belief that to doubt or to question the personality and real existence of an evil spirit is one of the special dangers of our age. He has studied Scripture carefully, but not always, we think, quite intelli- gently. That, however, we will not discuss. It is of the application of his creed that we would say a few words. Paganism, in his view, was a purely satanic product, and the Church of Rome has been little better. In anything like occlosiasiical authority, in ceremonies and rnbolism, he sees nothing but the undisguised workings of the evil spirit. When he comes to our own time, he speaks of it as if it was almost wholly under satanic control. Whatever wo may think about vivisection, it is hardly reasonable to treat it as something purely dia. bolleal ; and he might, at least, have added that in our time laws have been passed for the prevention of cruelty to animals. In the efforts of the working-class to improve their material condi- tion he sees universal evil, and describes the men who plead for ahorter hours and more pay by St. Paul's epitheb,—/scrovhs "peace- breakers." So, too," the despisers of those that are good are the people who visit the Zoological Gardens and the Aquarium on Sunday. And those clergy are traitors of the worst kind who approved and accepted the views put faith by Dr. Posey in hie famous "Eirenieon." It is a pity that an evidently earnest and devout man should write thus. Is it fair, again, to suggest that School Boards and efforts of the State to educate the people are really put of a movement which is of evil and satanic origin ? How can a reasonable, not to say a Christian man suggest such a thing ? By all moans lot him lash the vices of the ago, which are indeed numerous and terrible enough, but let him have the candour to admit that there are many eounteracting agencies, and that Satan has not got it, as ho seems to think, all his own way. Evil, we incline to believe, is something external to ourselves and has a spiritual basis, and the belief in a personal evil spirit has, at least, a good deal to say for itself, but a person may surely be a good Christian without seeing his way to accept it.
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