wicked if not more beggarly than himself—the fact would be very conceivable in his case, So it would for any other discomfited spirit as well as Pride, to come back after a temporary retreat with a reinforcement of furious passions to the quarter from which he retreated. This shews very strikingly the danger of changes in sub-government: when even a bad, troublesome, good for nothing member cannot be dismissed, or take himself off, for a while, without being in the event more troublesome than ever. And if the momentary departure of one wicked spirit may be followed with an extraordinary invasion of the sort; how much more a departure of the One only good (Ib. xix. 17): which must needs happen first! This has been a fruitful source of tribulation and suffering to mankind: it is indeed the root of all their uneasiness.

But while some evil spirits are such wanderers abroad, it appears that other some, as we have also seen, can find but too much work for themselves, but too much occasion of mischief at home; and are too stationary to move off, or to come and go in that manner-the worse luck for their neighbours, when such evil residents happen to be domesticated with such spirits as these, namely, with the Spirit of a nation, the Spirit of its laws, constitution and government, parties and politics; meaning the general force, tenour and effect of each, which may therefore deserve to be called Legion (Luke viii. 30), as the English, the French, the German; when so impregnated, or when they happen to have such a stipendiary from Tartarus or Gehenna, as aforesaid, quartered upon them. For what a dreadful predicament must all or either of the forementioned bodies be in, and the commonwealth of course, if it should please the Almighty to mingle in them only one perverse spirit, as he once did in Egypt; causing it thereby "to err in every work" (Isai. xix. 14); or if he should choose to mingle in particular either of the following enumerated like earthly villains, in the order of their mischievous importance, and identified with the vices or evil departments which they severally represent, namely

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21, First; one who in that respect may be thought equivalent with the arch fiend himself, if he be not the same under a particular denomination: and that is Satan: " which literally translated would signify Our ghostly enemy, or the Spirit of malignity; a name, than which the Devil itself cannot signify worse, though it may signify

more.

1-1, And to this general spirit of Malignity, which is Satan's first and foremost characteristic, there are also other peculiarities combined, to form his specific character; as for example

-2, That it is not merely to the victims of his malignity that Satan is opposed, but chiefly and more especially to another object, the Subjective of the Kingdom, whom he foolishly aims to wound through its subjects: this highest opposition therefore, which may be called Impiety, is to be regarded as a signal token of the fiend.

-3, His next, that of Destructiveness in ruining those whom he corrupts by the inevitable consequence of their disaffection: while

-4, By incessant Corruption, infusing himself always deeper and deeper into these unhappy proselytes till he has made them nearly as malignant as himself, he farther promotes these two grand objects of his malignity, opposition to God and trouble to mankind; that being first, and next to it this,-his ambition and delight.

It would be long, if not hopeless, to detail any adequate sample of this wicked spirit's artful and malignant operations. Who has not heard of "the Wiles of Satan," or "the wiles of the devil" (Eph. vi. 11) which are the same in effect? or of the armour of God (Ibid. 13), with which alone such wiles as these can be effectually resisted? Happy the man, who knows how to place himself above their influence by a simple and steady adherence to his Christian calling or profession!

2, Next to Satan the Spirit of Pride aforesaid, which is Lucifer, with his family and forces, will deserve to stand forward-a demon both wiser and worse than any of our

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kind, or than any of them would be without him: in whom considered with his connexions we shall find so orderly a train of operation as could never be engendered by disease, nor conjured up by chance, nor invented by the most fertile imagination; but is either a recorded fact, or found to be such by experience. We shall see, that no conqueror in the world of our own species was ever so well seconded by his family and followers, or gratified with so full a meed of mischief as this redoubted fiend.

But first, to speak of himself, that creature,-call him Lucifer* or what we will, for it matters not here about names, must needs have been an admirable creature at one time though now so degraded; or he could not have dared what he did, and had well nigh accomplished, to "sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north" (Isai. xiv. 13), the side of promotion and perpetual dominion. But he wanted one part to qualify him. for the mastery, which another had; and only that wanting was the cause both of his daring and defeat. See what the most splendid qualities are without humility! And, that the arch rebel, however perfect he might have been in other respects, was wholly deficient in this from some period or other, is evinced by his setting up for himself so impudently, and endeavouring to establish his empire on the ruins of the heavenly state. But whether he was originally created with so horrible an imperfection, or how he came by it, and by what means his haughty and rebellious spirit was propagated to our race, or for what wise purpose the Deity was pleased to suffer it in either, since the evil could never have existed without his permission,-is not our business to inquire: suffice it for the purpose, that such he was when he first came among us with his unrighteous host. And what an unrighteous host it is! It really may be worth enumerating, if we can separate 1, the family-from 2, the followers; as for example,

* The idea of this spirit was embodied most likely from the character of Pul, king of Assyria, a cotemporary of the prophet, and one evidence of its reality. His picture is beautiful.

-1, Considering first, the Family:

I, &c., First it is said, "Only by Pride cometh Contention" (Prov. xiii. 10). But it cannot be said that by Pride cometh contention only. For every vice and consequent affliction that arises from the bottomless pit and shews itself earth upon and be born in this may come up way. Thus "when cometh Pride, then cometh Shame" (Ib. xi. 2): that is another of the Family. So "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Ib. xvi. 18): making two more that are enumerated by Solomon, namely Falling and Destruction. By Pride also cometh Vain glory and Hypocrisy; Envy, Hatred and Malice and all Uncharitableness; Battle and Murder, and oftentimes Sudden death; Privy conspiracy and Rebellion; False doctrine, Heresy and Schism; Hardness of heart, and Contempt of God's Word and Commandment: from all which we might be delivered at once, and from more, if we could only be delivered from the parent of all, which is Pride. For of Pride also cometh Idolatry, Blasphemy, Sabbath-breaking, Contempt of father and mother, Adultery, Theft, False witness, Covetousness, with many other first rate evils that might be reckoned up: the forementioned being all of the family of Pride, but not all his family.

-2, And for an idea of the Army of Pride; his followers should be divided into two ranks, or classes; one mischievously operative, and the other as mischievously seductive of these

=1, The first or operative force will consist in Ambition, thinking itself equal to every thing; and Avarice, grasping every thing to itself; and Lust, degrading every thing below itself: with many more whose particular services it would be tedious to indicate; as Sacrilege and Perjury; Lying, Boasting and Intimidation; Plunder,' Cruelty and Persecution; besides the military part of the family of Pride above mentioned:

=2, The second or seductive force consisting in Credulity

and Superstition; Blindness, Bigotry and Intolerance; in Folly, and the fool's darling, Inconsideration, naturally followed by Disappointment and Remorse.

=3, We have a rare description of this infernal bandit and his company given by David in one of his valued Psalms with this just remark upon the general character of the same addressed to the Deity, " His ways are alway grievous: thy judgments are far above out of his sight: and therefore defieth he all his enemies" (Ps. x. 5). For All the World too is after this conqueror, namely after Pride; no wonder therefore if his invasion should be so formidable; though it would not be suspected from this circumstance that Pride was at the same time so generally hateful: but so it happens. Pride in human nature is an insult to the whole creation: and as his fellow subjects on earth are always willing to pluck a proud man of his plumage or vain dependence and often do without the royal authority; so we may suppose, that, without a special order from the King of Kings, an indignant witness over head of the freaks of Pride in some besotted tyrant, may assume the form of an haughty spirit, glide sweetly into the tyrant's heart; and, when he had lifted him up high enough, “ disappoint him and cast him down" (Ib. xvii. 13): as one served Ahab (Kings I. xxii); or smite him inwardly as Je-. horam and Herod were smitten (Chron. II. xxi. 19; Acts xii. 23); or get blowing up the coals of conceit, and kindling it into madness; or otherwise chastise him, as thousands are daily chastised no doubt, whose fate is kept secret "against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Rom. ii. 5). And so it happens according to the Psalmist's observation, "When the ungodly are green as the grass, and when all the workers of wickedness do flourish, then shall they be destroyed for ever" (Ps. xcii. 7).

But without supposing such particular cases as those, above mentioned, we may infer generally, that the rebellious angels, who know their place better, though they have not