1 3 spirits, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people." We are told that wicked Manasseh, three hundred and fifty years after Saul, "dealt with a familiar spirit:2 and afterwards that his grandson Josiah put away from the land, with other abominations, "the workers with familiar spirits." When our Saviour was on the earth, Devils frequently spoke through men, even acknowledging him "as the Holy one of God;" "Christ the Son of God."4 But he rebuked them and would not suffer them to speak or testify of him. In Philippi, “a damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying, cried after the apostles, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. Paul being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour." 6 The casting of devils and evil spirits out of persons, is spoken of as occurring almost in every place visited by our Saviour, or the apostles. In all ages, we see that men are inclined to "seck unto them that have familiar spirits, and to the dead, rather than to God, his law, and his testimony."" Abraham's answer to the man in hell who wanted to send one from the dead to convert his brethren is worthy of notice: "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." 8 Devils will take part in the history of man till the end of the world. We are told that in the millennium, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, shall be bound a thousand years; and when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations; to gather them, as the sand of the sea in number, to battle and while they compass the camp of the saints about, fire shall come down from God out of heaven, and devour them. And then shall be the judgment. God's history goes further, and says, that devils and some men shall be associated hereafter. "The King shall say to them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."" As we look through the history of the world, let us notice the important place which the Devil and his angels take in every part of that history. Let us remember that he quoted the word of God when tempting our Saviour: and that to effect his purpose, "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light, and his ministers, as the ministers of righteousness.' ."3 Paul tells us why we should know all this; "lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices," and also that we may know, with what fearful beings we have "to wrestle :" so powerful, that Paul exhorts, "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The Christian is also told, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you:""Be strong in the Lord," "taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." There is one way in which he is very easily overcome: 4 "Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees." Let us now return to the garden of Eden. Behold! the prince of the devils is there; and with that crafty, wicked Spirit, the gentle, confiding, and unsuspicious Eve is left alone. 1 Rev. xx. 2, 7. 9. 3 2 Cor. xi. 14, 15. 5 Eph. vi. 11, 16. James iv. 7. THE 2 THE "Prince of the devils" assisted in laying the foundation-stone which we have now reached; and to accomplish his purpose he entered into a serpent. On it he built "a kingdom;" making himself the "God of this world." It is the foundation of all the sin, suffering, and sorrow, under which the world has groaned for nearly six thousand years. How exceedingly short and simple, are the details of a fact, which led to the destruction of one world by a flood, and will lead to its destruction a second time by fire! that led even the Creator himself to take upon him our nature, and suffer and die, to redeem a people to himself! The serpent" said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods (or as God), knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."3 'Matt. xii. 24, 26. 22 Cor. iv. 4. 3 Gen. iii. 1. A few words are spoken to a woman; she listens, reasons a moment, eats an apple, gives of it to her husband, and he eats. In an instant they are changed; they have lost their holiness, their spiritual life; and at once they begin to suffer the eternal death," the dying thou shalt die." This change is called by the expressive word, the Fall. 1 All are In consequence of the federal relation which Adam sustained to his posterity, as their head, a fountain of corruption was thus opened, which tainted all the race. "conceived in sin "2 and "born unclean; 13 "there is none righteous, no, not one!" and thus "death passed upon all men, for in Adam, all sinned."5 Little did our first parents dream of the unutterable woe and misery they were bringing upon themselves and entailing upon the untold millions of their descendants. We, however, cannot condemn them. Knowing no sin they had no idea of fear, of suffering, or of death. Let those condemn them, who seeing and feeling the effects of sin, and knowing in some degree what death is, yet love sin, and choose to continue in it. 66 It is worthy of notice that the first sin combined "the lust of the eye," the woman "saw it was pleasant to the eyes;" "the lust of the flesh," it was "good for food;" and "the pride of life," it was a tree to be desired to make one wise." It has been well remarked, that human reason has been a traitor since the fall. It was so, before the fall ; they reasoned themselves into sin. It is also worthy of notice, the first sin was unbelief, or want of faith; therefore, the gospel message is, Believe; and salvation is by faith. The immediate effect of the Fall as shown in Adam, and also in all his posterity, was a change from the spirit of love, to the spirit of the devil: fear, a desire to hide away from God; hatred of God (for what we dread, we hate), and 1 Gen. ii. 17. 2 Psalm li. 5. 3 Job xiv. 4; xv. 14; Ps. lviii. 3. Rom. v. 12, 15, 18; 1 Cor. xv. 22. a spirit of false accusation: excusing himself, and charging the woman, and even God, as the author of his sin: “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree."1 "Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden."2 Blessed be God! He did not leave man to follow his own inclinations; to add sin to sin, and to go farther and farther away from God to eternity. "The LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" It was the first gospel call. God calling after a fugitive sinner to return to Him, to consider his sin, and to hear a promise, before pronouncing a curse. 1 Gen. iii. 12. 2 Gen. iii. 8. 3 Gen. iii. 9. |