that Mr. R. does not reject the any reader of common sense and sentiment on the ground of its im- common honesty, if no such influpossibility, but rather on this prin-ence existed it would be difficult · ciple that there is no need to to vindicate the writers from being impute that to infernal agency, either ignorant men, carried away which can be accounted for in a with vulgar prejudices; or, what more simple way.' Now, if we is worse, designing impostors, prehad no source of information on tending to use great plainness of the subject, than our own obser- speech, when, at the same time, vation, this maxim might be a good the whole current of their writings one but if God has told us that tended much more to deceive manSatan has an influence on the hu-kind and to conjure up a number man mind (and this, if words of imaginary bugbears, than to have any meaning, he most cer-convey solid and useful instruction. tainly has) that ought to put the Mr. R. himself adopts this reasonmatter out of all doubt. Other- ing on another subject. See his wise, it will amount to this :-That" Plea for the Divinity of Christ ;" though God declares that such the two first arguments from the things are the effects of such causes; language of the New Testament. yet there is no need for believing Secondly-If the Scriptures on this, provided we can discover this subject are not to be underwhat we conceive to be a more stood literally, but metaphorically, simple way of accounting for them! the influence of Satan meaning no And that, having made this impor-more than moral evil-then the tant discovery, we are at liberty writers must have been metaphor to explain away the literal sense mad. of the Scriptures, and understand them metaphorically! But this is setting up our own wisdom, as the standard whereby to try the wisdom of God; which is the very essence of Socinianism—the main pillar on which their system rests. Thus they metaphorize the WORD, or SON of God, in the 1st chapter of the Gospel of John, and every thing else that stands in their way. This is the rock on which they split. Mr. R. himself says, "The difference between the Socinians and our churches, on this article, seems to be this: we apply reason to the evidences of revelation; and they to all its doctrines; according to us, reason has done its office, when it has obtained evidence that God speaks; according to them, reason is to reject what is spoken, if they cannot comprehend it."Claude, Vol. I. p. 153. According to this, they first metaphorize things into persons, and then again metaphorize these persons into things! It is well known that the devil, in his influence upon men, is represented under the names of a serpent, a lion, fowls of the air, &c. These representations, if descriptive of the influence of a real intelligent agent, are proper and beautiful. They are metaphors. But if they are intended to describe a mere principle of moral evil, where is the beauty, where the propriety? Is it not all confusion? First, moral evil is personified, or converted into a devil; and then this devil is metaphorized into a serpent, a lion, &c. To suppose Christ, in his explication of the parable of the sower, for instance, when he was stripping it of its parabolical clothing, and giving the plain, literal meanIn short, considering the plaining, to explain one dark metaphor import of the forecited passages to by another equally dark, is most extraordinary. "When any one take place, which discover some heareth the word, and understand-great design, we naturally suppose eth it not (says he), then cometh an agent equal to those actions, as the wicked one, and catcheth away exercising such design. that which was sown in the heart: this is he which received seed by the way side." A very curious explanation indeed, on this principle! The wicked one taking the word out of their hearts, must have been quite as obscure as the fowls of the air devouring it—an explanation which itself needed explaining! The same might be observed of the parable of the tares. It is said that while men slept, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. In giving the plain and real meaning of this parable, our Lord said, the enemy that sowed them was the devil. This, we may presume, he thought sufficiently plain. But if Satan has no influence on the mind, this was perplexing the subject, not explaining it. In fine, it is easy to see from hence, that the existence and the influence of evil spirits must stand or fall together. If the one is metaphorical, so is the other. The word of God speaks as explicitly and unequivocally in favour of the latter as of the former; and if the one be abandoned, so must the other. And thus the Scripture account of "angels who kept not their first estate, being reserved to everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day," may be all nothing. There may be no such beings, in reality the whole may be metaphorical. And in that case, the whole testimony of Scripture is reduced to uncertainty; and hell, yea, heaven itself, may be an eastern metaphor-a poetic fiction ! Thirdly, If a series of actions Every design must have a designer; every contrivance, a contriver. Thus we prove the being and superintending providence of God. We see a creation-a system full of design; and we conclude that there must be a creator. We see also in the affairs of the world, a wonderful combination of events, operating in many cases without the knowledge of those who are instruments in bringing them to pass, and concurring to produce the most astonishing results and hence we infer that there must be a Supreme Being, who sits at the helm of affairs, and controls the whole with an invisible hand. Now just apply this reasoning to the case in hand. The opposition carried on against the cause of God, from the very beginning, bears evident marks of design—of design far superior to theirs who were the visible and immediate instruments. When God instituted sacrifices to teach mankind the necessity of an atonement, they were presently perverted to purposes of idolatry. When all people were become idolaters, and God separated a people to himself, to serve him, every measure was adopted to oppose and crush that people. Thousands of them were murdered in Egypt in infancy, and the remainder cruelly oppressed. When in the wilderness, enchantments and divinations were employed to curse them. And from their first settlement in Canaan, until the coming of the Messiah, the surrounding nations were leagued together against them. Jerusalem, especially, the place where Jehovah had fixed his name was the mark of their hot displeasure. "Raze agent does exist. Of this, we have it-raze it to the foundation !" was in the word of God, several striktheir cry. ing intimations. A most marked opposition was The perversion of sacrifices to discovered to the great corner- idolatrous purposes, appears very stone of the church-Christ Jesus. much like a design on the part of When he came into the world, the Satan, to draw off the attention of children of a whole town must be mankind from the Lord Messiah. slain, in the hope of slaying him. Indeed, this seems to be intimated When he entered on his ministry, by the sacrifices of idols being an especial effort was made to designated by an inspired apostledraw him into sin, to taint his holy" The sacrifices of devils." 1 Cor. mind with distrust, presumption, x. 20, 21. and vain-glory: and when that temptation failed, the main object was to get him dispatched. The opposition of the nations to Israel may be ascribed to the same cause. In the days of David, they After his ascension, every oppo- repeatedly made war against them, sition that could be made to the but in vain; for we read that "the church of God, was pursued with Lord preserved David whithersogreediness. Persecution raged in ever he went." But when Satan the first three centuries with relent- could obtain no advantage over less fury, carrying off its thousands Israel by the sword of his heathen and tens of thousands by the most vassals, he took the field himself; cruel deaths. At a very early pe- and the next news we read is, that riod, heresies and animosities found" Satan stood up against Israel, their way into the bosom of the church. Even the apostles were fully employed in stemming the torrent; and after their decease, a variety of corrupt notions and idle ceremonies tarnished the glory of the church, and introduced that flood of iniquity-the papal apostasy. The same mighty mischief has been planned and executed against the church ever since. In every age, they have been desolated by cruel persecution, poisoned by pernicious principles, or torn in pieces by intestine divisions. If ever any opposition can be said to be carried on by design, surely this must. An opposition so long in duration, and maintained so uniformly, and by such complicated and opposite measures, could not have been conducted without an intelligent agent at the head of it. And if any credit is to be given to the word of God, such an and provoked David to number Israel." He vented his malice against them, by moving their chief to sin, and to sin of such a kind as should provoke the Lord to diminish their numbers. And it proved, that, by drawing David into sin,-inflating his heart with pride on a review of his numerous forces, Satan slew more Israelites in a few days, than his vassals, the heathen princes, could in a succession of years. 1 Chron. xviii. 13.; xxi. 1. The efforts that were made to draw Christ into sin, as recorded in the 4th chapter of Matthew, are expressive of the same design, They were natural, from one whose main object was to overthrow the work of human redemption. It might be supposed he would try all he could to undermine the foundation of the church, well knowing that in that case the structure must fall. This is intimated in that memorable saying of our Lord-“ Op this rock will I build my church, | timated in those Scriptures which and the gates of hell shall not pre-speak of the sufferings of Christ-vail against it.' as-the hour and power of darkness-breaking the serpent's headspoiling principalities and powers The crucifixion of Christ is also attributed to the devil: who is represented as entering into Judas, making a show of them openly--triumphing over them in his cross. for the purpose of getting the son of man betrayed into the hands of sinners. Tormented, it seems, with the success of our Lord, and perceiving that his gospel was silently insinuating itself into the hearts of men, he determines to get him dispatched out of the way. Every circumstance of this tragical affair unfolds design, all bearing on one point-the crushing of the rising interest. It was glorious indeed, that at the very hour when hell was just ready to burst forth into triumph, then it should receive its fatal shock; and that those very means which were designed to crush the Lord Jesus, and his rising interest, and overturn the work of human redemption, should be made to subserve the overthrow of Satan's empire, and lay the foundation of that very work which they were intended to destroy! This was killing Goliath with his own sword -this was making a show of him indeed! Just suppose Satan to have reasoned thus with himself:- What shall I do? If I let him alone, the world will believe in him. I can. not draw him into sin: be has baffled me in every effort. I will The persecution that raged get him dispatched; and the more against the church, and the heresies effectually to make an end of him, that were introduced, are also asand of all future attachment to cribed to the devil, and equally him, I will get him executed in the marked by design. It was said to most shameful manner. He shall the church at Smyrna-“ The devil be hanged as a common malefac-shall cast some of you into pritor, at the place of public execu- son." And the persecutions which tion; so that his name shall be raged, are represented as a flood had in execration to the end of coming out of the mouth of the time. Yea, and that his memory great red dragon, that old serpent may be covered with everlasting called the devil and Satan, against infamy, I will stir up his own coun- the woman and her seed. Rev. ii. trymen, the Jews, the only reli- 10.; xii. 9. 14-17. Not, indeed, gious people in the world, to put that Satan assumed the office of him to death and not merely the justice of the peace; but he stirred rabble; but the sanhedrim, the up his vassals, as he had prescribes and pharisees, the very viously moved Judas to betray the gods of the people, whose reputa-Lord. tion is such, that all the world will conclude that if he had not been a malefactor he had not been put to death-and thus I hope to overcome him!' Were we to suppose, I say, that Satan had reasoned thus, the supposition would only correspond with the facts of the case. This, moreover, seems to be in When, in the days of Constantine the Great, the Roman empire became Christian, and so an end, for a time, was put to persecution, then the devil betook himself to another method. Popery, that mystery of iniquity, which had long begun to work, now made its appearance, and was soon openly revealed, in a grand, though gra dual apostasy. 2 Thes. ii. 7, 8. REMARKS ON MATT. ili. 15. SIR, Arianism, Pelagianism, and the To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. whole farrago of popery, soon overrun the church. False doctrines are called the doctrines of devils; and the beast of Rome is said to receive his power from the dragon. 1 Tim. iv. 1.; Rev. xiii. 2. And now I leave you to judge; and to consider whether those who deny the influence of evil spirits on the human mind, are very far from denying the influence of the Good Spirit; and whether the one may not very naturally pave the way for the other. Indeed, if it be just to metaphorize the Scriptures in the one case, it is equally just in the other. They do not speak more fully and decidedly of the one than they do of the other. Paul was sent forth, to turn men from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God." Acts xxvi. 18. But if the power of Satan be a metaphor, the power of God, in delivering men from it, may be so too. In short, if such a liberty is to be taken, in metaphorizing Scripture in this instance, it may in any other; and then nothing will be able to stand before it. There is not a doctrine in the Bible but might be thus metaphorized away. I have made my observations with freedom. My desire is, that you should do the same, in perusing them. Read them, not with the partiality of a friend, but with the non-prepossession of an indifferent person. I may, in some things, be mistaken. Receive nothing, but in proportion to evidence. Though you are bound implicitly to believe God, you are not bound so to believe me, or any other creature. Whether all I have said, be approved or not, believe me, I am, And desire to remain, To I BEG to offer for insertion, a few observations on those words in Matt. iii. 15. "Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." In these words there is, I apprehend, 1st, a reference to the symbolical character of the ordinance, " Thus (as by immersion) it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." 2ndly, I conceive that our Lord uses these words as the head of his body the Church, including all his living members, "Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." illustrate and improve this view of the text, I will offer a few remarks upon the words: 1st, as they apply especially to our Lord; and, 2ndly, as they apply to his members. When our Lord approached the banks of Jordan, and presented himself to John to be baptized, he did it in the same spirit with which he afterwards said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened until it be accomplished." He was thus to commence his public ministry, and in this way he signified his entire unreserved surrender of himself in the cause of righteousness, and as the substitute of man. The act expressed entire devotedness and dedication, to suffer according to the will of the Father for the redemption of his brethren; by his complete obedience to become the Lord our righteousness. It indicated also that his sufferings were to be unto death, but the immersion being immediately succeeded by the raising from the water, indicated further his resurrection and the glory that should follow; that having been made perfect through sufferingsas the Redeemer, and head of his people, he was to rise triumphant from the grave and ascend |