his creatures, the vast majority of God's creatures becoming the irrecoverable captives of God's inveterate enemy. And we have seen that, by this same common theory of religion, man is esteemed a mere football, tossed to and fro between these two mighty antagonists; that we are wretched, helpless, depraved, and wicked worms of the dust, so trifling that, as Chalmers says, the two almighty warriors lose sight of us in their terrific contest, which merges into a fight for the honor alone, the. supremacy, of the ⚫ two parties. And so all this representation in Scripture, of man as akin to angels; as a being crowned with glory and honor, the image of God, the lord of creation, an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus; as a being with powers so exalted that he may raise himself to a heaven of progress and felicity, or sink himself to a hell of remorse and fear, all this, on this view of religion, becomes mere mockery, tantalizing us with dreams and fancies never to be realized, and "this world is all a fleeting show, for man's illusion given." All enlightened conscience, enlightened reason, and human experience unite in pronouncing these views of God, of man, of Christianity, and of the world, unjust, unworthy, and untrue. A question remains to be answered. These words, Satan and Devil, are found in Scripture. Can we reconcile what we know to be true with the use of these terms in Scripture? This question I will endeavor to answer in my next Discourse. DISCOURSE XII. USE AND MEANING OF THE TERMS DEVIL AND SATAN IN SCRIPTURE. - WE have seen by a brief examination the views that have been entertained and are still taught by many theological and religious writers, respecting the relation alleged to exist between God and Satan, — between the Supreme Deity and an almost supreme Devil. If, as we supposed, this common view of Deity and Devil, as two great antagonistic powers, two mighty persons necessarily and eternally hostile to each other, waging an interminable war, unless it be terminated, as many allege it will, by a surrender on the part of God to Satan of an immense majority of the human family, thus closing the contest by crowning the Devil conqueror, - if this view be, as we supposed, incompatible with every reasonable view of the attributes of Supreme Deity, if intellect, affections, and conscience unite with all external nature in pronouncing against this conception of the Creator, then we properly inquire, What is the signification of the terms found in the Bible, holding the Scriptures, as we all do, to contain the highest, best, and sufficient record of truth and duty to mankind? What is the use and what the meaning of the terms Satan and Devil in the Scriptures? It would be impossible in a single Discourse to consider all the passages in which these terms are found. But we may examine some of them, and endeavor to do something to elucidate the subject. First, as to the word Satan. This is a Hebrew word, and wherever found in Scripture is to be regarded as a Hebrew word, not translated. Many superficial readers no doubt suppose this word, being Hebrew, to be very frequently used in the Old Testament, and will probably be surprised to find that it is only used seven or eight times in all our English translation of the Old Testament. It is frequently used, however, in the original Hebrew, and this fact assists us in determining its use and signification. In these seven or eight instances, it is used as a name or personification, that is to say, as if applied to a particular being or person. And concerning some of these passages there is considerable diversity of opinion, among critics calling themselves orthodox, as to whether the personage referred to was an evil or a good personage. For instance, the difficulties arise in this way. 1 Chron. xxi. 1, it is said, "Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel." Referring to the very same transaction, Samuel (2 Sam. xxiv. 1) says, "The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah." The writer of Chronicles says it was Satan provoked David to this act; Samuel says it was God provoked David to this act. Hence some, desiring to reconcile the statements, say this Satan must be a good angel, and not a being hostile to Jehovah, but one acting by the direction of the Lord, so that the Lord himself and Satan, his good angel, may be said to have done the same act. Again, in the second chapter of Job, it is said, “There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also amongst them." Here the critics are perplexed again to determine whether this Satan denotes a malignant spirit, an enemy of God and man, or a faithful but suspicious servant of Jehovah, one of the sons of God here spoken of. Eichhorn, Herder, and other eminent critics defend this view; for otherwise they cannot well account for the presence of the Devil in heaven amongst the angels of God, and he especially holding a conversation and argument with God. This view may find some support from the fact that the angel of God is in another place in the original expressly called Satan. Numbers xxii. 22, alluding to Balaam who went to curse Israel, it is said, "Because he went, the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary (Satan) against him." Here we begin to receive some light when we come to the meaning of the word Satan. It literally signifies an adversary, enemy, or opposer, and it is so translated in every instance in which it is translated, and in every case except the few disputed instances already referred to, and where it remains untranslated, it alludes to human beings without any doubt. I mention a few instances. 1 Kings xi. 23, 25, it is said," God stirred him up another adversary (or Satan), Rezon, the son of Eliadah; and he was an adversary (Satan) to Israel all the days of Solomon.” Again, 1 Samuel xxix. 4, the Philistines say of David, "Make this fellow return, lest in the battle he be an adversary (or Satan) to us." 1 Kings v. 4, Solomon, alluding to the wars which had prevented David from building a temple, says, “But now the Lord hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary (or Satan) nor evil occurrent." From these passages it is clear that in Hebrew usage whatever was an obstacle, an enemy, or adversary, whether personal or impersonal, was called Satan. But how does it happen that, in the few instances in which the term is left untranslated, it is employed as a name, or personal substantive? This is readily understood when we remember that Chronicles, Job, and Zechariah, the books in which the word is found, were all written after the return of the Hebrews from captivity, or within 500 years before Christ, that is to say, 3,500 years, according to common chronology, after the events referred to in Genesis. Eichhorn and other critics (called orthodox) regarded the belief in the Devil as having no existence among the Jews till after their captivity in Babylon, having acquired this idea from the good and evil deities of the Babylonians. But whether these critics are correct in supposing that the Jews believed in a personal Satan, an evil deity, any more after than before the captivity, we need not be anxious to determine. For agreeably with the use of language at that day with them, as with us at this day, it was natural and rhetorical for them to per |