who cannot lie, has pledged his truth and faithfulness for your preservation. Perhaps there is no one device in which his subtilty more appears than this : for it is by a pretended zeal for God's honour more than by any other thing whatever, that he leads men to sin, and lulls them asleep in sin. To one, he suggests, that God is too merciful to consign over any man to everlasting torments : to another, that God is too holy and too just ever to pardon such iniquities as he has committed : and then to another, that God, as a mighty Sovereign, has ordained men to life, and will save them without any trouble or efforts of their own. In all these instances he employs the very name and character of God, in order to subvert God's influence in the world.
Another point wherein his subtilty appears is, in his choice of instruments whereby to operate the more forcibly upon our minds. He will be sure to employ such as will have most in- fluence, and such as we should be least likely to suspect. Whom should he employ to seduce Adam from his allegiance, but Eve, whom God had given him to be his comfort and support? It was most probably with the hope of using her influence to tempt her husband, that Satan spared Job's wife, whom he might have destroyed, together with his children : and how readily she concurred with Satan, appears from the advice she gave Job in his extremity, " Curse God, and die." When he wanted to instigate Ahab to his destruction, whose agency did he employ but that of the four hundred and fifty prophets, whose united testimony Ahab could not withstand ? and when he sought to divert even Jesus himself from the great work of redeeming a ruined world, by whom did he endeavour to accomplish his purpose, but by Peter, a favourite Disciple, and that too under a semblance of love"?
Well is he called " that old serpent :" for, in truth, he is " a crooked serpent," whose windings are only equalled by his venom.]
3. Their power —
[But who can estimate this, seeing that " he deceiveth the whole world '^?" It is on this account that he is called " the god of this world," for he " worketh in all the children of disobedience®," and " leads them captive at his wilF." What he would effect, if suffered to execute all his own plea- sure, we may see in Peter, whom he sifted as wheat, and would soon have reduced to chaff", if the Saviour himself had not interceded for him that his faith might not fail^. When expelled from the demoniac, he entered into a herd of swine,
« Matt. xvi. 22, 23. ^ Rev. xii. 9. ^ 2 Cor. iv. 4. Eph. ii. 2. f 2 Tim. ii. 26. s Luke xxii. 31, 32.
iS2 2 CORINTHIANS, II. 11. [2003.
who all ran immediately down the mountain, and perished in the sea. And thus it would be with all of us, if God gave us over to his uncontrolled dominion ; we should precipitate our- selves speedily into irrecoverable and endless ruin. In the hands of that " great dragon," we should be no more than as a lamb in the jaws of a roaring Hon.]
But though in all their extent they cannot be known by us, yet, as far as they can be known, we are anxious to mark,
II. The importance of being thoroughly acquainted with them —
It is of unspeakable importance to us all, 1. Individually —
[There is not an individual amongst us, " at whose right hand he does not stand ^," and whom he is not seeking to destroy. *' As a roaring lion, he is going about continually for this very end," seeking to find some one off his guard, that he may prevail the more easily against him. He notices par- ticularly the dispositions of our mind, and is constantly on the watch that he may ensnare us by means of our besetting sin. Does he see David inclining to pride and vain confidence ? he puts it into his heart to give an order for the numbering of the people ; well knowing that by means of that act God would be provoked to execute upon him and on his people some heavy judgment'. Did he see in Judas the love of money? by that he draws him to betray his Lord. Did he behold in Peter the fear of man? he instigates several to accuse him as a follower of Christ, and thereby causes him to deny his Lord with oaths and curses. Did he see Ananias and Sapphira affecting man's applause ? he puts it into their heart to appear liberal at a cheap rate; and then, for the preservation of their character, to lie unto the Holy Ghost. Thus he will watch the motions of our hearts ; and, by means of some evil propensity in us, drive us to tlie commission of some heinous sin. Nor is he inattentive even to the state and temperament of our bodies; since from that also he can derive much advantage against us. If he perceive that our bodies are enervated by heavy afflictions, or such disorders as induce both bodily and mental debility, he will be sure to assault the soul, in order to drive it to despondency. The whole system being weakened, he hopes that he shall the more easily prevail against us to destroy us. In a word, he knows the weak side of all, and will be sure to assault us there. Hence arises a