Demon possession and allied themes; being an inductive study of phenomena of our own times

EDITORIAL NOTE.

This book was first published in 1893, shortly after the author's death. It was reprinted a number of times, both in the US and in England. It is the best work on this subject that I have seen, and is justly famous.

The book's subject is very controversial, as educated circles in both Europe and America had already moved a good way toward a materialist (or at least a deistic) worldview, in which God (if he exists) does not intervene in the natural world. We are still very much under the influence of that worldview today. Yet the author shows that the evidence that is out there, not only in China at that time, but in many other places then, and quite generally in the preceding centuries through human history, point to the existence of an unseen world inhabited by spirits, with which mankind has had to contend.
Recent discoveries in our natural world, in cosmology and biology, point to events and features in the history of our universe and planet, that strongly indicate that purely natural causation is inadequate to explain. This is sketched in numerous works on intelligent design, and in websites such as Reasons to Believe, the Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, and the Christian Scientific Society. It appears to me that both these recent discoveries and the work of our author John L. Nevius, point to a Christian worldview.
My annotations in this work, given in brackets [ ], mostly consist of helping the reader to locate the places in China to which the author refers. The method of transcribing Chinese names into western characters has changed a good deal since the late 19^th century, so I have attempted to locate the major cities and provinces of China, using Webster's New Geographical Dictionary and the Periplus Travel Map China, 5^th edition. I have inserted the newer name in brackets following the name given in the text.
May the Lord use this work of his servant John Nevius to help others understand what sort of a world we actually live in.
Robert C. Newman

June 15, 2016

CHAPTER I: FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND EXPERIENCES

My first home in China was in the city of Ningpo [Ningbo], in the province of Che-kiang [Zhejiang], which place we reached in the spring of 1854. My first work was of course that of acquiring the language. A native scholar, Mr. Tu, was engaged to serve me as a teacher. He was a strong believer in the "supernatural," and when we could understand each other through the medium of his vernacular, spiritual manifestations and possessions formed a frequent subject of conversation. I brought with me to China a strong conviction that a belief in demons, and communications with spiritual beings, belongs exclusively to a barbarous and superstitious age, and at present can consist only with mental weakness and want of culture. I indulged Mr. Tu, however, in talking on his favorite topics, because he did so with peculiar fluency and zest, and thus elements of variety and novelty were utilized in our severe and otherwise monotonous studies. But Mr. Tu's marvelous stories soon lost the charm of novelty. I used my best endeavors, though with little success, to convince him that his views were the combined result of ignorance and imagination. I could not but notice, however, the striking resemblance between some of his statements of alleged facts and the demonology of Scripture. This resemblance I accounted for as only apparent or accidental, though it still left in my mind an unpleasant regret that it was so strong; and I should also add a feeling amounting almost to a regret that such detailed statements should have been recorded in the Bible.

In the summer of 1861, we removed from Ningpo to the province of Shantung [Shandong] in northern China. There again I met with many evidences of this same popular belief, which constantly confronted us in the prosecution of our missionary work.
The first event in connection with this subject in Shantung, which I recall to mind, occurred in a country station of one of my colleagues, about the year 1868. This colleague was desirous of renting a native house to be used as a chapel in the market town of Chang-kia chwang, about thirty miles from Chefoo [Yantai]. After many fruitless attempts to secure such a place, he was surprised by the unexpected offer of an excellent building in a very desirable location, and on very reasonable terms. Fearing that delay might give rise to difficulties and obstructions he concluded the bargain at once. The articles of agreement were drawn up, and native Christians in his employ were immediately assigned to occupy and take charge of the premises. The next morning the new occupants found a crowd of curious neighbors awaiting their first appearance in the street, and were asked with an air of mysterious interest how they had slept, and if they had passed a comfortable night. It soon transpired that the Christians had been sleeping in a "haunted house." No one in the village had for some years dared to use the building for any purpose, which fact accounted for its having been so readily obtained.
So far there was nothing very remarkable in our having come into possession of a house supposed to be haunted, but the matter did not end here. Before night the occupants of a neighboring compound² came to see the Christians, informing them that the spirit had taken possession of one of the women in their family, and insisted upon taking up its abode with them, as it had been driven away from its former dwelling place by the presence of Christians, with whom it could not live. This family seemed to think they had a right to complain of this un-welcome visitor having been thus foisted upon them. The native Christians replied that they would do what they could to rid the complainants of the spirit, and returned with them to their home, taking with them a New Testament, and a Prayer printed in large characters as a placard. After they had prayed and read the Scriptures the woman supposed to be possessed was restored to her normal condition. The Prayer was posted on the walls, and the frightened inmates of the house were exhorted to withstand and drive out the spirit in the name of Jesus. They were not troubled afterward, though the spirit was heard of trying to gain an entrance into other families in the neighborhood.
In the above statements the villagers generally, and the native preacher, and the persons principally concerned (some of whom have since become Christians) all concur. The event excited some interest in our mission circle for a time. It was accounted for as due, like other cases of "haunted houses," to fear and hallucination, and the subject was dismissed from our thoughts as unworthy of serious attention.
In the year 1871, or 1872, the following experiences were met with in the village of Chu-mao in the district of Ping-tu. There was a native school there in which was a boy named Liu, about twelve years of age, who was supposed to be at times possessed by an evil spirit. When the attacks occurred he would start and cry out with fear, as if conscious of some unseen presence, and then fall down insensible. On these occasions a woman in the village who was believed to be a spirit-medium, or exorcist, was immediately sent for. On the recurrence of one of these attacks another of the pupils ran to call the exorcist. On his way he met a man named Liu Chong-ho, who had recently been to Teng-chow fu [Peng-lai] , as an "enquirer," and had, after studying the Scriptures there for a month or more, been baptized. On learning the boy's errand he told him not to summon the exorcist, and at once returned with him to the school. Requiring all the pupils to kneel with him, he earnestly called on Jesus for help. Then turning to the prostrate boy he said in almost Scriptural words: "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of him!" The boy, uttering a piercing cry, was at once restored to consciousness. I can say from personal knowledge that he never had another of those attacks from that day to this. Some years since he graduated from the high-school at Teng-chow-fu; and is now a useful and efficient man. Both his parents have become Christians. Liu Chong-ho died in the autumn of 1888 of cholera. He had for more than fifteen years sustained the character of a worthy, steadfast Christian, and at the time of his death was an elder in the Chu-mao church. The teacher of the school, Li Ching-pu, who afterward became a Christian, fully corroborated the story.
It may be well to state that no Protestant missionary, so far as I know, has ever given native converts instructions as to casting out spirits; and few, if any, have dreamed that their converts would have the disposition, the ability, or the opportunity to do so. When converts have undertaken to do it, it has always been from an unsuggested spontaneous impulse, the natural result of reading the Scriptures and applying its teachings to their actual circumstances.
When the boy above referred to was interrogated as to the reason for his crying out, he said it was because the spirit in leaving him hurt him; and he showed the place on his side where he was injured. Those present at the time still declare that they saw the spot, and believed that it originated as represented. This event, though somewhat startling, was not regarded as furnishing in itself any conclusive evidence of spirit-possession, and but little importance was attached to it. We supposed the boy to be suffering from epileptic fits, or something of that nature.
During the few years immediately following we were from time to time perplexed by similar occurrences, noticeably by one related to me by the native teacher Li Ching-pu above referred to, and confirmed by many independent witnesses. It will be found given at length in Appendix A. This and other cases brought the subject of demon-possessions into practical relation with our work as missionaries. The question to be considered was, do cases of possession actually exist in China? If they do not, how are the phenomena to be accounted for? And by what means shall we convince the native Christians of their delusion? What attitude shall we instruct them to take with reference to the whole matter?
I made enquiries of the more intelligent of our converts and found that the most of them believed in the reality of these manifestations, and could give more or less definite information of cases in their families, or among their neighbors, of which they had been eye-witnesses. I determined in my evangelistic tours in the interior to investigate the matter as opportunities offered. In the district of Ping-tu, 150 miles southwest from Chefoo, the Christians pointed out village after village which had either persons supposed to be "possessed," or exorcists. I had thought it would be easy to obtain the information I required. But unexpected difficulties presented themselves. On making enquiries in the different villages, every person applied to declined giving information, and most of them declared their absolute ignorance of what I was talking about. I soon learned the reason of this. To have a case of spirit-possession in a family is, as a rule, regarded as not only a great misfortune, but also a disgrace. A man would be almost as unwilling to give information of this kind about a neighbor, especially to a foreigner, as to accuse him of theft without any personal grudge leading him to do so. Moreover, in this case he would not only fear the resentment of his neighbors, but still more that of the avenging demon. So I found the object of my pursuit a very ignis-fatuus, ever eluding my grasp as I approached it. I again, and not unwillingly, discontinued the investigation of the subject. It however often obtruded itself in the course of ensuing years; and in such a way as to make the reconsideration of it imperative.