devil has sometimes become, in practical force, belief in a rival God.
But this sort of Manichaeism or dualism represents a very permanent
tendency in the untrained religious instincts of men, which the Bible
is occupied in restraining. In the Bible certainly Satan and his hosts
are rebel angels and not rival Gods. Once more undoubtedly demonology
has been a source of much misery and many degrading practices. But
demonology represents a natural religious instinct. It is older than
the Bible. And what our religion has done, where it has been true to
itself, is to purge away the noxious and non-moral superstitions. St.
Paul is representative of true Christianity in his stern refusal to use
the services of contemporary soothsaying and magic and sorcery[2]. One
has only to compare the exorcisms of our Lord with contemporary Jewish
exorcism to note the moral difference. And every truth has its
exaggeration and its abuse. The question still remains; are there no
spiritual beings but men? Is there no moral evil, but in the human
heart? Our Lord gives the most emphatic negative answer. His teaching
about evil (and good) spirits is unmistakable and {241} constant. If
He is an absolutely trustworthy teacher in the spiritual concerns of
life, then temptation from evil spirits is a reality, and a reality to
be held constantly in view. And our Lord's authority is confirmed by
our own experiences. Sometimes experience irresistibly suggests to us
the presence of unseen bad companions who can make vivid suggestions to
our minds. Or we are impressed like St. Paul with the delusive, lying
character of evil, which makes the belief in a malevolent will almost
inevitable. Or the continuity in evil influences, social or personal,
seems to disclose to us an organized plan or 'method[3]' a kingdom of
evil.

It is then in view of unseen but personal spiritual adversaries
organized against us as armies, under leaders who have at their control
wide-reaching social forces of evil, and who intrude themselves into
the highest spiritual regions 'the heavenly places' to which in their
own nature they belong, that St. Paul would have us equip ourselves for
fighting in 'the armour of light[4].'

If there is a spiritual battle, armour defensive and offensive becomes
a natural metaphor which {242} St. Paul frequently uses[5]. But in his
imprisonment he must have become specially habituated to the armour of
Roman soldiers, and here, as