good disposition. We, therefore, consequently, deny the. popular doctrine of original sin, as there is quite as much virtue as vice in the world; and, we have no doubt at all, as to the devil, that he is entirely a fabulous character, and as to what is said concerning those who were possessed of the devil, it were irrational to suppose, that it could mean any thing further than that "they were mad or had hysteric fits;" and as to the existence of angels, "though there are frequent allusions to it in the New Testament," yet it is 66 a doctrine that cannot be proved or made probable FROM THE LIGHT OF NATURE;" and, what have we got to do with the New Testament, while it contradicts the light of nature? Notwithstanding, therefore, the allusion, we chuse to say, "this is no where taught as a doctrine of revelation. A judicious Christian, therefore, will discard it from his creed; and, that, not only as a groundless, but as a useless and pernicious tenet, which tends to diminish our regard to the omniscient, and omnipresent God, and to excite superstitious respect to, and unreasonable expectations from, imaginary and fictitious beings; when therefore, we hear how Jesus was tempted of the devil in the wilderness; it was, (for we always talk very rationally in our way,) only an allusion to a fictitious being; and the proper and most rational meaning is, that he was fighting with some good and bad thoughts which alternately possessed him; but such were the Eastern metaphors and Oriental figures then in use.

"Considerate. Then, sir, might it not have sounded still more_rational had you made it out that he was fighting with two Eastern metaphors or Oriental figures? that when the angel spoke to Zecharias about the birth of John, the forerunner of our Lord, he should not have said, “I am Gabriel,” but "I am an Oriental figure? " and that it was nothing but an Oriental figure that spoke to Mary on the same subject? and that Eastern metaphors or Oriental figures appeared unto the shepherds, and sung "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men;" and then again, that our Lord had another meeting of these Eastern metaphors and Oriental figures in the mount of transfiguration? that an Eastern metaphor opened the prison in which Peter was confined, and that an Oriental figure knocked off his fetters? that Paul was converted at the sight of these Eastern metaphors ? that Stephen saw somewhat of the like sort before he was stoned? and that an Eastern metaphor stood by Paul when near shipwrecked? And if these be not enough, I could give you some further lucubrations on your rational way of explaining these Eastern metaphors."

It may be asked, what practical difference does it make, whether we understand those passages, which speak of good and evil spirits interfering in human affairs, in a literal or

figurative sense? We answer, 1. If God has seen fit to reveal the fact of their personal agency, he must have intended the knowledge of that fact to be of some use to us: by disbelieving or neglecting it, therefore, we must lose that benefit; besides being guilty of direct infidelity. 2. If such interpretations of scripture can be admitted, as are required to support the figu. rative view of these statements, we may just as well throw the Bible away at once; for a more dark, useless, unmeaning book, on this principle, was never written. There is not one single fact or doctrine of any kind whatever, that could be proved by it. I challenge the disbeliever in the personality of Satan, to prove from scripture, that there ever were such persons as Peter, Paul, John, Herod, Pontius Pilate, or Jesus Christ; that there is any resurrection of the dead, any future state, or any judgment to come, at which we shall have to give account of the deeds done in the body. Nay, I challenge him to prove from scripture the existence of God! And I should be quite willing to rest the whole case on this one point. Prove to me from scripture, that God is a real person, and not a figurative representation of certain principles and powers; and I will prove to you, that angels and devils are real persons. Bring forward, if you can, one single argument against their existence, which an atheist might not quite as justly bring against God's existence. Tell us, why one who disbelieves the personality of God may not believe the Bible, just as much as one who disbelieves the personality of Satan. Is one declared an iota more pointedly than the other? I suppose you will allow the first verse in Genesis to be about as strong a declaration of God's personal agency as could well be made:- "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." But how could you bring this against a person holding the doctrine of Lucretius, for instance? He believed that the world came into existence by a sort of accidental meeting of certain powers of nature: and why, on your principle, might not " God," in this verse, be a fictitious personage," personifying that occurrence? You would perhaps tell him, that "to create means to make out of nothing but he could easily reply, that it was irrational to believe such an impossibility as that the world could be made out of nothing; and that "created," in this verse, must also be taken figuratively. What answer could you give that would not be just as conclusive against your own unbelief of angelic and Satanic agency? Let us turn to a few passages of Scripture, that you may be able to judge whether this is at all an exaggerated comparison; and whether with any show of reason you can pretend to believe the Bible, and yet deny such plainly revealed truths, as those we are speaking of.

The German Rationalists have carried the principle out; and contend that Jesus Christ is only "a fictitious personage," representing certain Divine truths.

To begin with ANGELS.

"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto her, and said, Behold now thou art barren. *** Then the woman came and told her husband, Behold a man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God. *** For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar." Judges, ch. xiii. A spirit being invisible to our bodily eyes, we find that whenever an angel appeared to any one, he generally appeared in human form as a man; but with something sufficiently remarkable about him to shew what he was. If this circumstance were a dream, or the effects of a heated imagination, it is rather strange that they should both fancy exactly the same thing; that the woman should first fancy it, and then, on calling her husband to the spot, that he should fancy it too !" And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing-place of Araunah the Jebusite." 2 Sam. xxiv. 16.-"And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat." 1 Kings xix. 5."And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Saralı's maid," &c. Gen. xvi. 7.—“ Balaam saw the angel of the Lord in the way." &c, &c. Num. xxii. 31."And then came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an And the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said unto him. * * * Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes: and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight." Judges vi. 11-14."And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." 2 Kings xix. 35.

oak.

But we need not multiply passages from the Old Testament; as any one may find them for himself to any extent, by turning to a concordance. Let us see, whether the same thing be not as plainly taught in the New Testament, for which some persons profess a much greater respect.

"And behold there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men,

And the angel answered and said unto the women, &c." Matt. xxviii. 2-5.-" And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, &c." Luke i. 11-35.-" And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, &c." Luke ii 9.-" And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him." xxii. 43.-"And, behold, angels came and ministered unto him." Matt. iv. 11.-"The reapers are the angels." Matt. xiii. 39.-"No, not the angels in heaven." Matt. xxiv. 36.— "And all the holy angels with him." Matt. xxv. 31.

*

Luke

"Think ye, that I cannot now pray to my Father in heaven, and he should presently send me more than twelve legions of angels?" Matt. xxvi. 53.-" And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they bad also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive." Luke xxiv. 23.-" And as she wept, and stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, she seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?"John xx. 12.-" He saw in a vision evidently, about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming unto him, and saying unto him * And when the angel, which spake to Cornelius, was departed," &c. Acts x. 3.-" And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison; and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And the chains fell off from his hands, &c. &c." Acts. xii. 8.-"For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul." Acts xxvii. 23.-"But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, &c." Acts v. 19.-"And the angel of the Lord spake to Philip, saying, Arise." Acts viii. 26.—“We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men." 1 Cor. iv. 9.-"Know ye not, that we shall judge angels?" 1 Cor. vi. 3.-" When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels!" 2 Thes. i. 7.— "And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his

ministers a flame of fire * * But to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Heb. i, 6-14.-" Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Heb. xiii. 2. -"For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham." Heb, ii. 16.-"Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord." 2 Peter ii. 11.

"Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." Jude ix.

Such are some of the "allusions" in the New Testament to the ministry of angels. The following observations from the pen of the late highly gifted Charlotte Elizabeth will be a useful introduction to our Scripture references with regard to evil spirits.

"Before proceeding to examine the truth concerning Satan, we must notice the false impressions current both as to his person and employment. We are taught from the nursery to regard him as a hideous, disgusting, and almost ludicrously contemptible object. A black, mis-shapen, half human body, with limbs and other appendages belonging to various classes of animals; an excessively frightful, grinning face; and, in short, a preposterous compound of all that is ugly and incongruous, supply the general idea of the Prince of this world.' This fabulous image bears the marks of his own creation, for it is calculated to throw us off our guard by masking his real importance; so that we grow up ashamed of having once been frightened by these pictures of the devil, and count it a mark of matured reason to laugh at the hobgoblin of our childhood. His name, too, is linked with mean and ridiculous associations; it is denounced as a vulgarism, and when plainly uttered in conversation with a reference to his works, a smile of levity, if not a grave reproof, usually awaits the offender. A variety of nicknames have been applied to him, the substitution of which for his scriptural title is considered as showing greater respect for the auditors and greater refinement in the speaker; and he has been so identified with the most flippant, most trifling or profane forms of speech, even among polished gentlemen, that one of the hardest tasks the awakened Christian has to enoounter is, to disconnect the name of the devil from such associations, and to dissuade others from so offending.

Equally absurd are the common representations of angels, as little children with nothing but heads and wings. Such was not the angel who slew 185,000 Assyrians in one night; nor such the "mighty angels," which will attend our Lord's triumphant return to earth.