John xviii. 3.

Matt. xxvii. 3.

Satan, that thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night."

"Judas then having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and pharisees cometh thither, with lanterns, and torches, and weapons: Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and saith unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth! Jesus saith unto them, I am he! And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them."

"Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? See thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself." He was, therefore, in the torments of the spirit of malignity, that drove him to destruction in hanging himself, in the consciousness of having betrayed innocent blood.*

*Rom. ix. 19.-"Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will! Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another to dishonour?" All are in his power, and "His mercy is on them that fear him." Luke i. 50.

We need go no farther than the actions of the jews towards our Saviour, to prove that they were of the nature, and full of the spirit of the devil, in envy, malice, and hatred.

"Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do with Matt.xxvii.22. Jesus, which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why? what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers: and they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him; saying, Hail, king of the jews! and they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him upon the head. And after they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him."

"And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, they gave him vinegar to drink mixed with gall: and when he

tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And set over his head his accusation written, This is Jesus the King of the Jews."

So far, every thing relative to the malignant spirit that degrades mankind is clear and definite. But throughout the Scriptures, it is also revealed, that diseases, infirmities, and death, are caused by them. From our experience, we know that restless depraved characters, whose general actions belong to the preceding catalogue, often bring disease and premature death upon themselves: but it is totally impossible that we could know, in our present state, the malignant influence of this base spirit upon the general frame of our constitutions, in which we all live; and that all diseases and infirmities of mankind arise from it: yet, the new testament is explicit, and accords with the old upon this subject, and is also consistent with our Saviour's words: "All things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you."

We have now to show it, by relating some of the cases recorded in the new testament. To the impotent man, that our Saviour had restored to health, John v. 14. by the Holy Spirit removing the spirit of malignity that caused his disease: he said, "Behold thou art

made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee."*

Again," And behold there came a leper, and Matt. viii. 2. worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will, be thou clean: and immediately his leprosy was cleansed."

Again," And when Jesus was entered into Ca- Matt. viii. 5. pernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented." "And Jesus Matt. viii. 13. said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.

servant was healed in the self-same hour."

And his

Again," And when Jesus was come into Peter's Matt. viii. 14. house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever; and he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered to them.”

Again,-"When the even was come, they brought Matt. viii. 16. to him many that were possessed with devils; and he cast out the spirits, with his word, and he healed all that were sick."

Here, then, it is clear that the spirit of malignity,

* We do not here imply, that diseases are the sole consequences of wilful sin-far from it. Sickness and diseases, the Scriptures inform us, more frequently proceed from the love of God, than from his displeasure. "Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him, for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son that he receiveth." Hebrews xii. 6. Again, Job vii. 1. "Happy is the man whom God correcteth."

Matt. xii. 22.

Matt. xii. 25.

called devils, was cast out by the Spirit of God, the Word, which healed all that were sick; and is in accordance with the revelation from the beginning of the world; that the serpent, or malignant passions brought death and infirmities upon mankind, -that is, death in the malignity of the soul, and all bodily infirmities under which they suffer.

But for further evidence, "Then was brought unto him, one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb; and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw."

We need not repeat the blasphemy of the Pharisees, but give solely the answer of our Saviour to illustrate, in the following occurrence.

"And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation: and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? but if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

The revelation by St. John, of the final redemption, accords with it: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

So that throughout the Scriptures, all is in ac