Demon possession and allied themes

498 Pages·2008·16.85 MB·English

DEMON POSSESSION AND
ALLIED THEMES
BEINGAN INDUCTIVE STUDYOF
PHENOMENA OF OUR OWN TIMES
BY REV. JOHN L. NEVIUS, D. D.
ForFortyYearsaMissionarytotheChinese
WITH AN INTRODUCTION
By Rev. F. F. Ellinwood, D. D.
SecretaryoftheBoardofForeignMissionsofthePresbyterianChurch,
U.S.A.,andauthorof"OrientalReligionsandChristianity."
WithAN INDEX; Bibliographical, Biblical,
Pathological, and General
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY
CHICAGO : : NEWYORK : : TORONTO
PublishersofEvangelicalLiterature
Entered accordingto Actof Congress, in theyear 1894, by
Fleming H. Revell Company, in the office of the Librarian
of Congress, at Washington.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
BY REV. F. F. ELLINWOOD, D.D.
For several years I have been aware that Rev.
Dr. John L. Nevius of Chefoo, China, wasgiving
careful attention tX) certain strangepsychical
phenomena which were presented from time to
time in the interior districts of the Shantung
Province. I became more interested in the prog-
ress of his inquiries from the fact that upon an
acquaintance continued for more than a quarter
of a century I regarded him as a man peculiarly
fitted to examine so intricate and difficult a sub-
ject.
His philosophic insight, his judicial fairness of
mind, hiscaution andhisconscientious thorough-
ness, appeared to me admirable qualifications
forsuch astudy. Moreoverhisthorough mastery
of the Chinese language spoken and written, his
intimate sympathy with the people, and his cor-
respondingly truer interpretation of their inner-
most thought and life, have rendered him still
more capable of ascertaining the real factsin the
case, and of forming accurate judgments upon
them.
jii,
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Antecedently to any knowledge of the New
Testament the people of North China believed
fully in the possession of the minds and bodies
of men by evil spirits. This belief is a part of
thatanimism, orspirit worship, whichhas existed
— —
in China as in many other countries from the
very beginning, of history or tradition. It has
always been understood that the personality of
the evil spirit usurped, or for the time being sup-
planted that of the unwilling victim and acted
through his organs and faculties. Physical
suffering and sometimes violent paroxysms at-
tended the presence and active influence of the
spirit,and not only the particular demoniac but
all his household were filled with more or less
anxiety and distress.
When therefore Christianity was introduced
into China, and the narratives of demoniacal
possession given in the New Testament were
read, the correspondence that was at oncerecog-
nized by the native Christians seemedcomplete.
In relation to this particular form of New
Testament miracles there has never been any
difficulty on the part of Chinese Christians, if
indeed among the heathen portion of the com-
munity. And what is very striking in the ac-
counts given by Dr. Nevius, is their uniform
confidence shown in the power of Jesus, or even
of an appeal to His name toexpel the spirits and
set the victims free. According to the testimony
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
of many witnesses no earnest Christian believer
has ever continued to be afflicted. This seems
to be a generally accepted fact, by the heathen
who have known the circumstances, as well as
by believers.
It will be observed that nearly all the incidents
related are given on the testimony not of mis-
—
sionaries, but of native Christians mostly na-
tive pastors. The cases have been carefully
investigated, however, by several different mis-
sionaries, who have shared in the interest taken
by Dr. Nevius, and no one of them appears to
have any doubt of the veracity of the witnesses.
Some of the facts also have passed under their
own immediate observation.
Missionaries in China have all proceeded with
great caution in this matter. Dr. Nevius and
others have avoided any measures which might
lead the people to suppose that they claim the
power to cast out devils even in Jesus' name.
Nor does it appear that any native minister has
claimed any such power. The most that has
been done has been to kneel down and pray to
Jesus to relieve the sufferer, at the same time
inviting all present to unite in the prayer; and
it seems a well established fact that in nearly or
quite every instance, the person afflicted, speak-
ing apparently in a different personality and
with a different voice has confessed the power
of Jesus and has departed.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Whatever theory we may adopt by way of ex-
plaining these mysterious phenomena, the idea of
intentional fraud on the part either of the af-
flicted, or of the Christian witnesses andsympa-
thizers, isexcluded.
The absence ofall motive to deceive, the great
number of instances, the well tried character of
the witnesses, and all the circumstances con-
nected with their minute and consistent narra-
tives, establish beyond reasonable doubt their
entire sincerity. Whatever the world at large
may think the native Christians of Shantung are
as fully convinced both of the reality of demon-
iacal possessions, and of the available power of
Jesus to remedy them, as were the disciples in
the apostolic church. And the number of coin-
cidences which Dr. Nevius has pointed out be-
tween these cases and those described in the
Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles iscertainly
remarkable. In regard to them each reader of
the book must form his own conclusions. The
author does not insist upon any particularinter-
pretation, or any final conclusion. He is evi-
dently impressed with the gravity of his sub-
ject and thepossibility oferroneousspeculations.
But in his extended researches hehas found such
speculations already rife, and he has considered
them briefly in some of the later chapters of his
book.
Abelief in demoniacal possession has existed in
INTRODUCTORY NOTE vU.
many lands and throughout the ages, and many
and conflicting theories of explanation have been
advanced by anthropologists and writers on psy-
chology, hypnotism, etc. Some of these Dr.
Nevius has answered, and, as I think, success-
fully; and on the whole his mind seems inclined
to the view that as yet no theory has been
advanced which so well accords with the facts
as the simple and unquestioning conclusion so
universally held by the Christians of Shantung,
viz: that evil spirits do in many instances possess
or control the mind and will of human beings.
Hypnotism, making due allowance for a thou-
sand extravagances which have attended it, does
seem to show that one strong and magnetic
human will may so control the mind and will
of its subject as by a mere silent volition to
direct his words and acts. Who shall say then
that a disembodied spirit may not do the same.-'
Professor Shaler of Harvard in his Interpreta-
tion of Nature has pointed out the fact of a
strong reaction against the materialism which
seemed confident of dominion a few years ago.
Certain biologicalinvestigators, flushed with the
success of their researches, were very confident
that if they had not been able to discover the
human soul with the microscope, they had at
least identified it very closely with the substance
of the brain and nerves. But now, as the pro-
fessor shows, science is beginning to discover
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
realms of spirit lying beyond the physical, and
of which we have as yet but the barest glimpses
of knowledge. Evidently human research has
notyet finished its work and is not ready to rest
its case upon any dogmatic verdict.
Over against materialistic speculation are the
vagaries of spiritualists, theosophists and all
apostles of Oriental or Occidental occultism.
Their theories are on the opposite extreme, and
it is one of theirchief claims for recognition that
they hope to save society from the deadening
influence of materialism.
Dr. Nevius, after considering both of these
extremes, finds no better account of man's
spiritual nature than that which is given in the
—
Word of God: No more rational view of his
conflicts with evil, no more satisfactory and all
sufficient remedy forthat evil. While he does not
dogmatize in regard to the mysterious maladies
suffered in Shantung he deems it wise to state
the facts, nor does he disguise the leanings of
his own mind, in regard to them.
F. F. Ellinwood.
October 5, i8pj.
Postscript: Sincetheabove was writtenDr. Neviushasgone to that
worldofunseenspiritswherehenolongersees"throughaglassdarkly."
He diedpeacefully, thoughwithoutamoment's warning,athishousein
Chetoo,Oct. 19, 1893.