unto judgment.] Jude 6. And the Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath referved δεσμοις αιδίοις ὑπο ζοφον in everlafting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. Being caft down to hell, and delivered into chains of darkness, in St. Peter, is the same as being referved in perpetual chains under darkness, in St. Jude; and may fignify no more than, that they are degraded from their former high and glorious state, and chained, or confined to, a much lower, narrower, and darker situation, without any hope of favour, unto the day of judgment; when they, with all workers of iniquity, shall be cast into everlasting fire, Mat. xxv. 41. Rev. xx. 10, 15. For any thing therefore advanced in those two places, those fallen angels may at present refide in our air, and be permitted to wander about in the earth.

It must be observed, that there is an ambiguity in both the words, שטן Satan, and Διαβολο the Devil. The former, Satan, fignifies any adversary among men and good angels, as well as among evil spirits. Num. xxii. 32. And the Angel of the Lord said, behold, I went out to withstand thee, יצאתי לשטן for an adverfary, a Satan. So 2 Sam. xix. 22.Ye fons of Zeruiab are adverfaries. 1 Kin. v. 4. xi. 14. 23, 25. Pfal. 1xxi. 13. cix. 20, 29. Peter was Satan, an adversary, to our Lord, Mat. xvi. 23. And the unbelieving Jews were the Satan, or adverfaries, who hindered St. Paul's return to Theffalonica, I Theff. ii. 18. Διαβολος, Devil, signifies an accuser, slanderer. Joh. vi. 70. - and one of you, Judas, is Διαβολος a Devil. 1 Tim. ii. 11. Their wives must be grave, μη Διαβολες not Devils, i. e. accufers, flanderers. 2 Tim. iii. 3. false accufers, Tit. ii. 3. Thus it may be applied to any wicked perfons, who slander, accuse, and perfecute the people of God. And this ambiguity in the sense of those two words, שטן and 60, may render it doubtful how some particular paflages of Scripture are to be understood.

That those two words are used to fignify one and the same wicked spirit, who, with many others his angels, or under-agents, are converfant in our world, and endeavour to draw men into fin, and do mischief among us, is very evident from Revelation. As in the case of our first parents, of Job, whose children and substance were destroyed, and his body afflicted with a grievous dijorder by Satan, Jobi. 12, &c. ii. 6, 7; of our Lord, who was tempted of the Devil, or Satan, Mat. iv. 1, 3, 10. Mark i. 13. Luke iv. 2. Which temptation, under all its circumstances, can never be resolved into an allegory; much less can it be supposed to be all transacted within our Lord's own mind, as if the Devil, or Satan, was no other than the suggestions, or thoughts, that arose in his own heart, which is very absurd. Nor can the following texts be naturally understood of any other than a real Devil or Satan. Mat. xiii. 39. The enemy that fowed the tares is the Devil, [and his instruments] Mark iii. 26. How can Satan cost out Satan? Joh. viii. 44. Ye are of your father the Devil. Acts x. 38. - Healing all that were oppreffed of the Devil. 2 Cor. xi. 13, 14. For fuch are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the Apostles of Chrift. And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of Light. Heb. ii. 14. That through death he might destroy him that had the power of [subjecting our first parents, and re These vicious spirits, the Devil and his angels, when permitted, are capable of doing any mifchief to the estate, body, or mind, I Sam. xvi. 14. Job i. 12, &c. ii. 6, 7. Mark iii. 23, 26. Luke xiii. 16. 1 Cor. v. 5. 1 Tim. i. 20. Nor is there any abfurdity, any thing inconfiftent with the Divine Goodness, in supposing that evil spirits may inflict calamities and diforders upon mankind: for they are only inftruments in God's hands, under his direction and controul, as much as any other cause whatever; and so must come under the same rules as any other means which Providence may employ in distressing or destroying human life, as storms, inundations, the paffions and powers of wicked men, a putrid air, vitiated humours in the body, &c. In all these cases, whatever is the instrumental, God is the appointing and directing cause; and it would have been all one, whether he had fent a good or evil angel, or had only changed the temperature of the air, to destroy the Ifraelites by pestilence, 2 Sam. xxiv. 15, 16; or to flay Sennacherib's army, 2 King. xix. 35. 2 Chron. xxxii. 21. In correcting or punishing by diseases, or other distresses, God may use what instruments he pleases.

and their pofterity, to death, that is, the Devil. 2 Tim. ii. 16. cover themselves out of the snare of the Devil. Jam. iv. 7. Resist the Devil, and he shall flee from you. I Joh. iii. 8. He that committeth fin, is of the Devil; for the Devil finneth from the beginning [of the world, alluding to his tempting our first parents into fin; for this cause the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the Devil. Jude 9. Yet Michael, the Archangel, when contending with the Devil, he disputed about the body of Moses. And generally, Satan and Devil are thus to be understood in the New Testament, the few places before mentioned only excepted: though, where the Devil is principally intended, his instru ments, or wicked agents among men, may at the same time be con

noted.

Befides Satan, or the Devil, the Scripture frequently mentions other evil spirits, called δαιμονια, δαιμονες, Damons, which we tranflate Devils. That these Dæmons, however understood in profane authors, do belong to the Devil's retinue, and may be his angels or under-agents, over whom he is chief or prince, will appear by comparing Mat. xiin 22,24,28. Luke x. 17, 18. xi. 15, 18. Those who in the Gofpels are faid to be δαιμονιζομενοι possessed by Dæmons, in Aas x. 38. are faid to be oppreffed of the Devil, ὑπο του Διαβολου, as they were under the power of his agents. Thus we may conceive of the Devil and his angels, Mat. xxv. 41. the Dragon and his angels, Rev. xii. 7. He is the prince and head, and those dæmons are his subjects. They are often spoken of in the plural number, as being many; though Satan, or the Devil, is always in the fingular, as being but one single spirit, and chief over all the rest. But, as before observed, his angels, or agents, may sometimes be included with him.

The characters which the Devil or Satan sustains in Scripture, are these, the great Dragon, or fierce Devourer, the old Serpent, full of villainous fubtilty, Rev. xii. 9. The Wicked One, Mat. xiii. 38. 1 Joh. iii. 12. A Murtherer and Liar, Joh. viii. 44. Ye are of your father, the Devil, and the lufts of your father will ye do. He was a murther er from the beginning, [in effecting the death of Adam and his pofterity; and thus he may be faid to have had the power of death, Heb. ii. 14.) and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he Speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, (as he was to Eve] and the father of it. The Accuser of the Brethren, Rev. xii. 10. [See Job i. 6-13. il. 17.] A roaring Lion, [the lion roars only when he is hungry, Pfal. xxii. 13. Ezek. xxii. 2 25.] Seeking whom he may devour. The Prince of the World, meaning, as it is corrupt and wicked, John xii. 31. xiv. 30. xvi. 11. The Prince of the Power of the Air, the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of Disobedience, the idolatrous heathen, Ephef. ii. 2. the Devil is represented as a prince, or sovereign, at the head of a kingdom which stands in opposition to, and is at war with, the kingdom of Christ; who was manifested as his antagonist, that he might destroy the works of the Devil, 1 John iii. 8.

Here

The Dæmons are characterized as the Devil's angels, Mat. xxv. 41. As unclean Spirits, Mark v. 2, 8, 12. Luke iv. 33, 36. viii. 27, 29. Evil, wicked, Spirits, Luke viii. 2.

Thus far we may go upon this part of the subject, and not much further. The world of spirits lies so far out of our fight, that we can know no more of them, than what is revealed; nor have we principles fufficient to enable us to form clear and complete notions of every thing faid concerning them even in Revelation.

That which most of all requires our attention, is, that the Devil delighteth in feducing mankind to fin against God, and takes every advantage, and uses every wile to effect his wicked purpose. Rev. xii. 9. The great dragon, called the Devil and Satan, deceiveth the whole world. Mat. xiii. 39. The enemy that fowed them, the tares, i. e. wicked men, is the Devil. 1. Of which we have a specimen in his temptation of our first parents. He concealed himself in the body, or shape, of a Serpent, probably at that time a creature admired by Adam and Eve for its beauty and fagacity. He first addressed the woman, when alone, and at a diftance from her husband; and first endeavoured to weaken her sense of the obligation of the Divine Prohibition, by representing it as uncertain or unreasonable, ver. 1. Yea, hath God faid, ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden? " Surely you mistake him; it can never be fo; for why should "God debar you of any of the innocent and delightful fruits this gar"den yields?" The woman exposed herself to the greatest danger by deliberating with the Tempter, upon a matter which she should not have heard so much as called in question without abhorrence. But she was not aware of his wicked design; and therefore, in much simplicity, gave him a full account of the law they were under, ver. 2, 3. Which only gave him, on the other hand, an opportunity of contradicting it by a most bold and impudent lie, ver. 4. Ye shall not furely dic. Yea, he affures her, they should receive great advantage by eating the forbidden fruit, ver. 5. For God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened; and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. To Favour his affertion, he perverts the word of God, by wresting the name God had given the tree; as if it had been called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, because God was aware it would endow them with the most exalted and extensive knowledge; whereas it had its name upon a very different account..

Thus

Thus Satan perfuades men to have hard thoughts of God, as if he envied our happiness, and laid the restraints of his law upon our appetites out of ill-will; but infinite Goodness is not capable of envy. Thus he tempteth us to be uneasy in the condition Providence has allotted us, and prompts us to be ambitious of things too high for us. And thus he deludeth with false hopes of benefit and advantage from fin; and, when this last point is gained, we fall an easy prey to the Tempter. ver. 6. And when the woman jaw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wife, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat. "She saw it was to be defired to make one wife." What wrought this opinion in Eve was, poffibly, the affurance the Serpent gave her, that he which, she very well knew, before was, like other brutes, dumb and irrational, was, by the admirable virtue of the fruit, advanced in speech and reason, as she saw, to an equality with herself, the most excellent creature in the earth; and, therefore, she needed not doubt but it would, in the same proportion, exalt the human nature to the high perfection of the angelic order. This would pass for demonstration with her, who knew not that it was an evil spirit that acted and spake in the Serpent. But this is only my own conjecture. - And she gave also unto her husband with ber, and he did eat: being, probably, perfuaded (besides the arguments the Serpent used with Eve) by the strong affection they had for each other. Thus the Devil, by tempting our first parents to tranfgrefs the law, subjected them, and their pofterity in them, to eternal death. Thus he was a murtherer, and may be faid to have had the power of death. Heb. ii. 14.

B Y searching the Scriptures we have found, that there is a malicious Spirit which, by Divine Permission, ranges about this world, attended with many more of the same depraved nature; and, as any opportunity offers, is endeavouring to draw men from the practice of virtue, into all wickedness and alienation from the truth.

To prevent any cavils against the scriptural account of this wicked Spirit, let it be well observed,

I. That we cannot be sure, from any unassisted knowledge or observation of our own, that this earth is not frequented by numerous spirits of a nature much superior to the human. Our knowledge even of the animals which naturally belong to our globe, hath been, and probably still is, very defective. Without the help of microscopes, we could never have difcerned vast tribes of insects, which we now plainly see do live

and move even in our own bodies, and in all parts of the earth and water; and even with this advantage of fight, there may still be a world of smaller animals, which our senses cannot reach. Much more may myriads of spirits be mixed amongst us, which come not under our observation. Therefore, as without the aid of microscopes we should never have discovered the most numerous part of the inhabitants of our earth; so neither, without the light of Revelation, can we be ascertained, what spirits are and act in the region of the air. And Revelation is a mean as proper, at least, for discovering the one, as our own arti ficial inventions for discovering the other. But Revelation informs us, that angels, both good and bad, are converfant in this world; which may be true, though we have no diftinct, sensible perceptions of their existence and operations. Under former dispensations of religion they might appear, and act in a sensible manner; but under the prefent difpenfation they may, for wife reasons (particularly, because we are now sufficiently inftructed in their nature and agency), be wholly invisible; nor may we be capable of distinguishing their secret internal impreffions from the suggestions of our own minds; or the external, kind affistances of good angels, or the malicious injuries of evil angels, from the common course of Providence,

II. That we are now upon trial hath been already proved; and that our trial is well and wisely adjusted, cannot be doubted. We ourselves are by no means capable of judging what kind of trials are most suitable to our own spirits, because we know but little of the nature of them. To settle the kind and degree of our Trials, belongs entirely to him who alone understands the nature of our minds, and the designs of his own wisdom. Therefore, if we are shocked when we hear God hath permitted many evil spirits to range our world, and to exercise their malice in tempting mankind, we are really shocked at our own ignorance, seeing this method of trial, as well as the rest, is under regulations of infinite wisdom, and defigned for the purposes of infinite goodness.

OBJECTION. "Suppose God hath for wife ends permitted such be"ings to mingle among mankind, is it not very strange that any should " be found so malicious as to employ that permiffion to the worst of pur" poses? How can we suppose any spirits, any intelligences, especially " of a fuperior nature, so far abandoned to all sense of goodness and "virtue, as to endeavour without ceasing the corruption and perdition of "their fellow-creatures?"

ANSWER. That wickedness exists in the universe, is too plain from the state of things in that part of it which we inhabit; where we see great numbers, in spite of their own reason and understanding, and of all the inftances of God's love and goodness, and of all the most evident and powerful arguments to virtue and piety, who not only are very vicious themselves, but take an unnatural pleasure in tempting and corrupting others, and making them as bad as themselves. It cannot then be hard to suppose, that there are other spirits, in other circumstances, who, in the same manner, oppose God; that is to say, oppose truth and virtue, For the Devil opposeth and fetteth himself against God, not by might and power, as if he were able to contend with the Almighty, but only

as