SERMON V.

MATTHEW, XXV. 46.—“ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.” LUKE ix. 49, 50.—“ And John answered and said, master we saw one casting out devils in thy name.”

THERE is nothing more detrimental to the cause of true religion, and genuine unaffected piety, than the errors which arise from bigotry and superstition. To disbelieve any part of the revealed word of the Almighty, is a sin which will assuredly endanger our eternal salvation; because the probability is, that it will ultimately lead to a rejection of the whole. But, to receive and propagate doctrines, as the word of God, which have never been revealed by him, is surely a sin of no less magnitude. The superstitious bigot is not and cannot be a rational believer, because he mixes the fancies of his own bewildered imagination, with the revelations of Almighty wisdom; and by blending the precepts of God, with the traditions of men, renders them of none effect.

I have pointed out to you, my brethren, in my late discourses, how much has, by the ignorance or design of men, been added to these things; particularly as regards eternal punishment; the nature and penalty of sin, under the Christian dispensation; the errors which have been propagated, respecting the word hell; and lastly, the meaning which is attached in Scripture, to the personification of the words Sathanas and Diabolos, as Satan or the Devil. I proved to you, that both

these words, the one signifying the principle of opposition or an adversary, and the other, the principle of destruction, a consumer, destroyer or accuser, were personified in the holy Scriptures, as the principle of evil, but that the Devil is not represented as an actually existing being.

You will remember, that I then made a distinction between the word devils, in the plural number, which is always a translation of the word Daimonia, or Evil Spirits; and the devil, or Diabolos, which means the principle of destruction, a consumer or destroyer.— The first of these is mentioned in the Scriptures, in two senses. In the one, it designates the idols or false gods of the heathens, and in the other, certain Evil Spirits, which were supposed to afflict men with various diseases. The second term, Diabolos, is always used to signify the principle of evil, and is never spoken of as an idol, or as afflicting men with diseases. It is the first of these terms, Daimonia or devils, which I shall endeavor to explain to you in this discourse: "we saw one casting out devils in thy name."

The meaning of the words Sathanas and Diabolos, I considered in my last discourse: but there are two passages in the Scriptures, which have been supposed by some, to imply that the Devil is an actually created being, and was formerly an angel of God in heaven: and before we enter upon the particular subject of our present text, I wish to shew you the real meaning of these passages.

The first occurs in the 14th chapter of Isaiah. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning." Lucifer, among the Hebrews and Chaldeans,

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was the name of the morning star; the same which we now designate as the planet Venus. This is the only instance in which it is mentioned in the Scriptures; and to shew you that it here refers to the king of Babylon, and nothing else whatever, I need only request you to read that portion of the chapter, which forms the context. (Isaiah, 14.) If this passage can possibly refer to any other being than the king of Babylon, there is no meaning in language.

First, let me obwhich intimates

The other texts from whence it has been attempted to prove that the Devil was a fallen angel of God, occur in the 2d Peter, and in Jude. St. Peter speaks of " the angels that sinned:" and St. Jude of "the angels that kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, who are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day." serve to you, that there is nothing here that this first estate or habitation, were with God in heaven. If, therefore, there are angels mentioned in the Scriptures, who never were in heaven, but who did leave their first estate and own habitation, and are reserved in chains of darkness unto the judgment, it will be granted that these passages may refer to them. I will prove to you, my brethren, that such angels are mentioned, and that these passage do refer to them, and can refer to no other.

The literal signification of the word Angelos, is a messenger, and it is used in the Scriptures to signify holy beings, who are the servants of God in heaven. It is used for messengers of good tidings: it is applied to Christ; and lastly, it is applied to prophets, and ministers, and preachers: thus, it is said, "who received

the law by disposition of angels: know ye not that we shall judge angels." "If the word spoken by angels was stedfast:""the seven stars, angels of the seven churches." St. John speaks of the angel of the church of Sardis, of Smyrna, of Ephesus, and various other preachers. The application of the word angel, to prophets and teachers of religion, was quite common, and well known among the Jews.

Now, you will observe, that both St. Peter and St. Jude, are warning their disciples against false teachers who should arise," who shall bring in damnable heresies, denying the Lord who bought them, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." "But there were," saith St. Peter, "false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not: for if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the wicked unto the day of judgment to be punished."

The question then is, who were these angels that sinned? The obvious reference seems to be, to those false prophets among the people, whom St. Peter had just mentioned, and with whose fate he is comparing that of the false teachers who should arise.

St. Jude, however, is more explicit. "I will therefore put you in remembrance," saith he, " though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them

that believed not. And the angels, which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, to the judgment of the great day; even as Sodom and Gomorrha," &c. Now, the words which are translated "kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation," may likewise be rendered, kept not their office, but left their proper ministry. The warning then, as regards these angels who kept not their office, but left their proper ministry, is introduced, in connexion with the disbelief of the children of Israel, and is said to be even as Sodom and Gomorrha.

But, in the subsequent verses, the apostle distinctly explains his meaning; for he says, "woe unto them, (the false teachers,) for they have gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core." Now Corah, Dothan, and Abiram, were angels or teachers among the Israelites, who kept not their office, but did leave their proper ministry; who were therefore, swallowed up alive and whom, therefore, God hath delivered imprisoned, in bonds of darkness, to be reserved unto the judgment. The fate of these angels was a suitable subject of comparison, with that which should await the false teachers, who were guilty of the same crime, and furnished a fit warning and example to those who should follow them; and was naturally connected with the disbelief of the children of Israel, and was even as Sodom and Gomorrah, set forth as an example. But, what the rebellion of angels in heaven, (if any such occurrence ever took place there,) could have to do with all these circumstances, I con