I shall probably be expected to begin with the Mosaic account of the fall-and yet, I know not why I should, for the word satan never once occurs in the whole account. Will you take the account literally? Then only be consistent in the literal interpretation. Say that there grew a tree, whose fruit was capable of imparting a knowledge of good and evil. Say that God walked in the garden to seek for Adam, and that Adam called to inform the Deity of his hiding place. Say that it was a serpent which held the conversation with Eve, and tempted her. Dr. Adam Clarke, indeed, has, with great ingenuity and much labour, attempted to shew that the Hebrew word does not mean serpent, but a species of ape. Take which you will, only be it literal-and say that this animal" was cursed by God above all cattle, and above every beast of the field," compelled to crawl upon the ground and eat the dust. But say not, that a literal interpretation tells you it was the devil, which crept into a serpent. Say only that this is an inference drawn by your own reason, or from some other expression, in some other place.

Philo, the learned Jew, tells you how his nation understood the account. He says, "It is an allegory expressive of what really happened, under feigned images, and the serpent is an emblem of vicious pleasure."

The term Satan is used fourteen times in the book of Job, and only twenty times in all the other books of the Old Testament; so that in this eastern fable, a poetical effusion, not improbably a drama, this great doctrine is more explicitly taught than in any other book, almost as much as in all the rest together. How then are we to understand the term as used by this author? The first chapter will furnish us with a key to the term in every other part of the book. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also amongst them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none

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like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast thou not made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord." Job. i. 6-12.

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Again I ask only for consistency, is this to be taken literally? Is it a meeting of the angels of heaven, in the presence of the great Jehovah at which the devil attended? - Then mark what follows. The devil has been going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it. He comes, unawed, unabashed, into the presence of the Almighty! The great Jehovah condescends to hold a conversation with him, upon terms of the ut

most familiarity! With the most perfect confidence, he gives an account to God of what he has been doing. The Almighty points out a being to him as having escaped his notice! He begs of God, to afflict this man! God gives him permission to afflict him! At a second interview he puts Job entirely into his power. "Be

hold, he is thine, but save his life."-And is this the omnipotent, infinitely malicious being, such as you represent the devil? What! Was it necessary that he should first go and petition the Almighty, before he could touch this man? Was it not, to every intent and purpose, the act and deed of the Almighty that Job was afflicted? In every sense of the word, was not the devil his agent? And was it necessary to employ such an agent-an omnipotent agent to affliet a man? Were not the Sabaans, who slew the servants, the lightning, which destroyed the cattle, the Chaldæans, who carried away the camels, and the hurricane, which blew down the house upon the children,-were not these sufficient agents of the Deity, sufficient adversaries to Job, without the employ

ment of an omnipotent devil to execute them?

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How much more consistent the explanation of this poetical drama, that “The sons of God" were the righteous and holy men who came to worship in the temple of the Lord, and that their wicked adversaries, their Satan, assembled with them, posed them to the utmost of their power, and were permitted by God to be successful in their schemes of hostility, and their endeavours to ruin and overwhelm with afflictions the leader and pattern of the righteous? Job imputes the whole to God. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, and blessed be the name of the Lord."

There is scarcely any other passage in the Old Testament which I need cite as inculcating this opinion of the devil. Many of the passages containing the wordwill be noticed under the second head. If there be any other necessary to be now quoted, it is that of Zech. iii. 1. 2. "And he shewed me Joshua the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist