of her. And he came out the same hour." In this, as in the preceding case, the devil's device is shewn by its fruits. His object in thus following and publicly testifying to the divine origin of the apostle's teaching was probably two-fold. While allowed to continue it, he might expect to cast a slur on the doctrine in which a devil could thus approvingly seem to acquiesce, while a professed witch appeared as a daily follower of those who taught it; and if he provoked them to expel him, he might justly calculate on the vengeance of her masters, which, in fact, overtook them immediately, and before night they were scourged, imprisoned, and made fast in the stocks. Seeing that all this was through the cunning of a devil, it is peculiarly delightful to proceed in the story, and find the whole overruled of God to the conversion of the keeper of the prison, and all his household, the shame of the unjust magistrates who had beaten them, and the honourable acquittal and dismission of the apostles from the place; where, no doubt, events so extraordinary were blessed to the conviction of many; the church at Philippi being, as we find by his epistle to it, an especial cause of thankfulness and joy to Paul.

Another instance had previously occurred, where a sorcerer, one who avowedly held communion with evil spirits, and through their workings in him merited the severe rebuke, "O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteous

E

ness," had endeavoured to turn away a Roman deputy from the faith; and here the Lord manifested himself by shewing that all the sorceries of Elymas, and his pretended sanctity, could not avert from him the stroke of instant blindness, which, to mark it as a direct visitation from on high, was announced by Paul the moment before it overtook him; and this wonder confirmed the Deputy in the faith. Acts xiii. 6-12. One more instance we have in Simon Magus, who was also a sorcerer, and who seemed to have been delivered from the dominion of evil spirits, by the preaching of the gospel ; being able to make such a confession of faith as entitled him to baptism. In him the devil sought to bring a deadly disgrace on the Church of Christ, by obtaining the power of conferring the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost on whomsoever he would; or if the idea of being able to buy the gift of God with money appear too foolish to have been really entertained by a spiritual being, we may suppose that he calculated on making the very proposal, from a professed worshipper, redound to the disadvantage of that church. In either case he was baffled. Peter was enabled to "perceive" that this seeming convert was still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity, and rebuked him openly; while the record of the attempt serves to this day as an invaluable preservative against certain unscriptural views of baptism which have crept into the church.

By considering in how many instances under the Old

Testament dispensation, characters appeared, and events occurred parallel to these which meet us under the clearer light of the New, we may trace such hindrances and stumblings among the saints of old to the deep-laid plots of the rulers of the darkness of this world; and by such an enlarged view of the enemy's sphere of action, we may learn to be more earnest in praying that 'all those evils which the craft and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us may be brought to nought;' and may also become more watchfully alert in seeking to baffle his devices.

V.

SATANIC CRUELTY.

It seems almost superfluous to devote a section to this subject, seeing that every thing we can name, respecting Satan and his angels, comes under the head of cruelty. From the first attempt of the devil to seduce Eve from her allegiance, his object has always been to plunge the whole human race into the bottomless pit which he knows to be his own portion; "the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." Rev. xxi. 8. But though he generally tempts men with the promise, or the possession of present enjoyment, alluring them to sell their souls for worldly profit; still, whenever he can have his own way he produces present calamities, and heaps upon his wretched victims tribulation and anguish as well in possession as in prospect.

On many occasions noted in the scripture, God, by his own arm, or by his holy angels, has punished the transgressor; but we find him, in the majority of instances, giving offenders into the hand of Satan, or of wicked

men who act under his influence, for punishment. It is mentioned by the Psalmist, though not by Moses, that among the inflictions dealt forth to the tyrannic Egyptians, this was the greatest; and the force of the expressions is very remarkable: after detailing the plagues of blood, of flies, of frogs, of caterpillars, of locusts, of hail, frost, and thunderbolts, the inspired writer goes on:-"He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them." Psalm lxxviii. 49. When Satan sends an evil angel, he will sorely afflict the object of his mission; but when God looses the restraints of these malignant creatures, and bids them smite, it is terrible indeed!

We must again recal that most important truth,that whatsoever worship is rendered to any but God, is rendered to devils; and we shall be appalled at the scene of present, temporal cruelty and suffering, laid open as the direct work of evil spirits. Moloch, the great idol of the heathen among whom Israel sojourned, was worshipped by the immolation of children, butchered by the knife and by fire; and it is awful to think that the Lord's own people were ensnared to join in this frightful abomination. "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan ; and the land was polluted with blood." Psalm cvi. 37,