2. From his wisdom and subtlety —
[" The serpent was the most subtle of the brute crea- tion," and was therefore made use of by Satan • as an instru- ment whereby to deceive our first parents : and in reference to that event, Satan is called " that old serpent, the DeviP." Of his subtlety there is much spoken in the Holy Scriptures. Like a fowler he spreads his net, and " takes men alive in his snare'':" and so deep are his "wiles" and " devices," that no human wisdom can fathom them, no human sagacity escape them. As a spirit, he is a pure intelligence, like the holy angels, disrobed indeed of his holiness, but not of his intel- lectual powers. He knows what is smted to the dispositions of men, and what is most likely to prevail with them under all the circumstances wherein they are placed. In his assaults on our blessed Lord, he seized the moment most favourable for his purpose, and urged the temptations most likely to pre- vail : . and it is reasonable to suppose, that the experience of six thousand years has contributed not a little to his pro- ficiency and advancement in every species of guile.]
3. From his easy access to the minds of men —
[A viaterial being would have found difficulty in pre- senting himself to men on many occasions : but an immaterial
b Rev. xii. 9. <= 2 Tmi. ii, 26. The Greek.
or spiritual being finds no obstacles, except what arise from the internal principles of those whom he would assault. He has access to one as well as another at all times. What an immense advantage does this give him ! Indeed, if it were not that we have good angels also attendant on us and ministering unto us, and, above all, that we have the Spirit of the living God continually dwelling in us for the express purpose of counteracting and defeating his influence, we could have no hope whatever of escaping from his toils.]
4. From the number and influence of his con- federates—
[There is not a wicked man in the universe who is not actuated by him, and made subservient to his designs : from all of them therefore he derives much support; but especially from those, whose situation in life gives them greater sway over the public mind. If he can prevail on a prince or monarch to exert his influence, he will gain a rapid ascendency over a whole kingdom. The instant that Jeroboam set up his golden calves, the whole people of Israel " willingly ran after his com- mandment." And if he can prevail on those in the prophetic office to sanction eri'or by their preaching, or iniquity by their conduct, he will easily draw in their train the great mass of their followers. The text shews us how the united testimony of four hundred prophets deceived even the pious Jehoshaphat : and the more pretensions to piety such prophets make, the more useful to Satan will their labours be ; since he never exerts himself with more effect than when he " transforms himself into an angel of light '^."]
5. From the willingness of men to be deceived —
[This perhaps is the greatest source of his power. Men are not impartial judges of good and evil, or of truth and error: their judgment is warped : they have corrupt inclinations which bias them^: their own "heart is deceitful and desperately wicked:" and hence, when Satan has undertaken to assault them, he finds traitors in their own bosoms ready to open the gates to him, and to admit him into the very citadel, before they are aware of his approach. The truth of this is manifested whenever an attempt is made to suppress evil or inculcate good. We see in a moment to which side men lean, and that argu- ments are weighed, not according to their real solidity, but according to the aspect they bear on our favomite propensities. Of course, this is extremely favourable to the interests of Satan, who needs only to present things to us in a specious view, and is sure beforehand that we shall be as ready to comply with