often talking to his maker? No, God forbid. Such are not really praying men whatever else they may be.

We have now presented the christian soldier before you, complete in the panoply of heaven, "having on the whole armor of God." Let us examine ourselves to see whether we are armed and equipped, not "as the law," but as the gospel "directs." If we are, we are prepared to prosecute the holy war. If we are thus armed, we are able to contend with every foe, and "stand against the wiles of the Devil."

Secondly. "We now come to notice "the Devil," the enemy against which we are to contend. Who, and what, and where is the character denominated the Devil, in our text? You perceive by all our previous remarks, that we consider the "Devil," as being the principal enemy with whom the christian has to contend. And we shall now proceed to describe and define this character as explicitly as we can in the time allotted to us, that the soldier of Christ, being apprised of the nature of their enemy and the place of his retreat, may know the better how to meet, and how to contend with him. The inquiry is made, what is meant by the term Devil, many other places in the inspired word? In order to answer this question fairly, it will be necessary, in the first place, to glance slightly at the common idea concerning the Devil. Many professing christians pretend to believe that the Devil came in the first place from heaven! Yes, they profess to believe that the Devil had his origin in the celestial regions -in the kingdom of endless peace and joy-of immortal purity and rest-where nothing that defiles, or disturbs, can enter! however tenacious of this opinion some may be, we must confess that we cannot agree with them in this particular. We do not believe that the Devil ever was in heaven,

when used as in our text, and

or ever will be. How came this wicked, evil spirit to be an inhabitant of the holy courts above? The common opinion on this remarkable subject can be stated in a few moments. The prevailing idea is, that this Devil was once a holy angel. Here, again, we beg leave to dissent from them. We do not believe that the Devil was ever holy, or ever will be! But to proceed. It is believed that this Devil was once a being of great dignity and standing near the throne, that he was one of the most dignified ministers of the Almighty.— But being a restless spirit, impatient of control, and ambitious withal of gaining the seat of universal sovereignty, he raised an insurrection and terrible war, (in the realms of eternal peace,) and made the desperate attempt even to dethrone the Supreme Ruler of the skies. The struggle was long and dreadful. At last, however, he was defeated by the forces of the Omnipotent, and finally driven out, hurled headlong from the battlements of heaven, pursued by the flaming wrath of Jehovah, into the bottomless gulph of hell's infernal prison, there shut up and secured by doors of tenfold adamant, bolted and barred by the decrees of the Almighty, and chained with the everlasting chains of God's eternal purposes. Notwithstanding he was so firmly fastened, and bound, he directly found means to get off his fetters, clear himself from his "iron bands," burst the gates of hell, and has, ever since, had liberty to roam at large wheresoever he pleased. This is the Devil in which many professing christians believe. And some there are who affirm that they have as much evidence to prove the existence of this Devil, as they have to prove the existence of a Supreme being, and they would as soon have you dispute the existence of one of these beings as the other.

We do not wish to give offence to any, but still we must have the boldness to declare, as our opinion, that no such

Devil exists in any part of the universe of God concerning which we have any information. One grand argument made use of to prove the existence of this Devil, is the following. It is contended that man, having been created innocent, never could have sinned had he not been tempted to do it by some being separate from himself. If it could be made to appear that a rational, intelligent and moral agent cannot sin without having a tempter separate from himself -how came an angel to sin without having such a tempter? If he had such a tempter, who was it? And again, who tempted that tempter? and who that? You will see at once that you may by such reasoning as this, run back to eternity, and you will never discover the first tempter, or the origin of sin, till you arrive at the Deity himself, and come to the conclusion that he is really the first tempter to sin.But such a conclusion would be, not only shocking to our feelings, but directly contrary to scripture: "For God tempteth no man.""

You by this time begin to see why we disbelieve the common, notion concerning the Devil, and why we do not think that the Devil was ever a holy angel.

The truth is, if we can believe the scriptures concerning.. him, he was a liar from the beginning. It appears abundantly from the inspired testimony, that he was always opposed to God, to holiness and happiness, and always will be as long as he exists.

But thanks be to God, the Devil is not infinite, or eternal; and will, if holy writ speaks the truth, be destroyed. This evil character sustains many different names in the scriptures. He is called Abaddon,-Apollion-the Prince of Darkness-the Prince of the power of the air-the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience-the Old Serpent, and Satan, are two of his appropriate titles. The

terms Devil, and Satan, are applied to many different subjects in the scriptures. They are sometimes applied to wicked men. Christ called Peter "Satan," and Judas a "Devil." Any unusual, strange, or malignant disorder, either of mind or of body, is styled a Devil, or Devils, agreeable to common Jewish phraseology. Mary Magdalene was dispossessed of seven devils. These were doubtless disorders of mind, or body, or both. The woman who

had expended all her living to pay physicians, is said by the Redeemer to have been possessed, or bound by Satan "eighteen years;" which was the time she had been afflicted by her disorder. A certain man that was dumb, was said to be possessed of a dumb devil; and when the devil was cast out the dumb spake.

Insanity was spoken of in the same manner.

Witness,

for instance, the man among the tombs-out of whom were cast a legion. Any notorious opposer of the gospel, or tyrannical, persecuting government, was with propriety, called the Devil, or enemy. The apostle Peter exhorted his brethren to watch and be sober, "for your adversary, the Devil, goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Here we think the apostle has allusion to that wicked and tyrannical government which had shed the blood of the son of God, and still sought to destroy the lives of all his faithful followers. The term is also applied to other things which we have not time to mention at present. But to bring the question to a decision, and clearly ascertain what that Devil is which tempts us to sin, whose wiles it is necessary to withstand; we observe that Christ was tempted by the Devil. "He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin." Now how are we tempted? If we can get a correct answer to this last question, it will furnish a complete solution of the grand query respecting the Devil.

Christ was tempted by the Devil-and he was tempted in all points precisely in the same manner that we are. Now how are we tempted? and by what are we tempted? We not only ask, but demand an answer to this question. We have a right to demand an answer. For we have been aspersed in consequence of our opinions on this subject long enough. And now it is high time that the truth should be known; and the mouths of those who resist its evidence be put to silence. How are we tempted? If you will not answer, the Apostle James shall answer for you: "Every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lusts and enticed." Here then, we have at last discovered what is to be understood by the term devil, when spoken of as the common enemy, or tempter to evil. It is the carnal mindthe lust of the flesh-that principle which is found in man, that is opposed to virtue, truth and holiness. The scriptures, however, express the idea more plainly than it can be done in any other words-"The prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." This spirit is the devil. Now you may see clearly from whence this wicked spirit came. It appears by this investigation that the Devil is the carnal mind-the lusts of the flesh-and these sprung from the dust of the ground, the elements of this lower world-not from the celestial regions.

But if Satan did not fall from heaven, what shall we make of a passage in Luke, x: 17, 18. It reads thus: "And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord! even the devils are subject to us through thy name. And Jesus answering, said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." Does not this prove, says the objector, that Satan came from heaven? By no means my friend-it