seem to imply it. Of Satan's mischievous moral influence, we do not doubt. Nay, this is immeasurably the most considerable development of his character. Now as demons are the angels or servants of Satan; as they are sentenced to everlasting punishment with him; since the Apocalypse represents the angels of Satan as fighting, with their leader, against Michael and his angels, and against the church; inasmuch as Paul reckons principalities and powers among them as enemies with whom Christians are to contend; and as no such contention is ever mentioned in cases of usual demoniacal influence; it would seem to follow, that evil spirits are, in some respects, (not definitely disclosed to us,) the coadjutors of Satan in enticing to moral evil. More than this we cannot with certainty gather from the Scriptures.

That we cannot determine the manner in which Satan or his coadjutors act upon either our bodies or our minds, makes nothing against the views that have been taken. When we can determine how a blade of grass grows, how our spirits act upon our own bodies, or influence our fellow beings; how God himself acts upon all nature without us and within us; then we may begin to urge the great question about the manner in which evil spirits act upon us, or influence us. As to moral influence, one thing is clear negatively, viz. that constraint or irresistible influence on the part of the devil or his angels, is out of all question; for if we resist them they will flee from us. In this way the justice of God in punishing men for yielding to them, becomes manifest, and can be as clearly vindicated, as when a civil government punishes a murderer for having been persuaded by some of his fellow-men to commit the fatal deed.

My limits will permit the discussion of only one more topic connected with this part of the subject, viz.

5. The Place of evil Spirits. By this is meant what may be called their proper home or usual dwelling place; and with the consideration of this, we may also include their occasional places of abode.

It is obvious, that in speaking of such a subject, we must speak in language borrowed from sensible objects. But it is in this manner, also, that we are constrained to speak of God and good angels, of heaven and the abode of the spirits of the just. The relation

pure spirits have to actual locality, it would be difficult for us to determine. One thing we know of evil spirits, viz. that they are finite; and being such, we may speak of them as in one place rather than in another; for in this manner the Scriptures speak of angels and of glorified saints. Heaven is the abode of these. Not the new heaven which will be created, at the final consummation of all things, for their ultimate abode, but the heaven usually spoken of in the Scriptures.

It presents no small difficulty to the considerate mind, that evil angels are sometimes spoken of as being in a place of confinement, "in chains of darkness," and in the great abyss or pit; while in other places they are mentioned as roaming at large in quest of mischief which they may do, and as pervading the whole earth, and carrying on their plans among all nations. Is there any real contradiction here? Or can the sacred writers be reconciled with each other, and with reason, in regard to this somewhat embarrassing matter? The attempt to do this is not without its difficulties; as the sequel will disclose. Still, in my apprehension, the conciliation may be accomplished.

First of all we must bring together what the Scriptures say, or intimate, with regard to the place or abode of demons or evil spirits. When this is done, comparison may enable us to make out some satisfactory result.

a) Evil spirits are represented as confined in the abyss or bottomless pit.

In accordance with this, Jude speaks (v. 6) of "the angels who kept not their first estate," as being " kept in perpetual chains, beneath darkness (vzò (ópov), unto the judgment of the great day." The idea is that of confinement in a dark place, and so that they cannot escape from the judgment which finally awaits them. It seems like a temporary imprisonment of an arrested criminal, before his final trial and condemnation. To the same purpose Peter speaks, 2 Pet. 2,4: "If God spared not the angels who sinned, but, thrusting them down to the abyss (ragragoons) in chains of darkness, assigned them to be kept for judgment." The phrase "chains of darkness" seems plainly to mean, chains or bonds in a dark place; and the participle ragragoas indicates, of course, that this place was a deep abyss. In perfect accordance with this, Luke 8, 31 represents

a demon as beseeching Jesus that he would not order him to go. away is the ßvooor, that is, into Tartarus or the abyss. The deprecation, on the part of the demon, shows that he anticipated some special punishment for his offence. So the demons (through the demoniac), in Matt. 8, 29, deprecate punishment by anticipation: "Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" that is, before the final judgment of the great day. In Rev. 9, 11 the locusts from the pit or abyss are represented as having Abaddon, or the destroyer, for their leader; which of course indicates that he was, at least for a part of the time, an inmate of the pit; and accordingly, he is there named "the angel of the abyss." In Rev. 9, 1 the abyss is represented as being locked up, and an angel is sent with a key to open it, in order to let loose the locusts with Abaddon. This idea corresponds exactly with that designated by the word ouguis in 2 Pet. 2, 4, and dɛouois in Jude v. 9. Finally, in Rev. 20, 1-3 Satan is represented as bound and cast into the great abyss for a thousand years, in order to prevent any harm which he might do to the church. In v. 9 of the same chapter, this abyss is called his quλaxý or prison.

These passages, and some others of a similar tenor, being compared together, the result is, that evil spirits, although surely kept for a future judgment, are not constant dwellers in the abyss, but . only occasional ones, until their final trial comes. The deprecation, not to torment them before their time, not to be sent away into the abyss, and the thrusting of Satan into the same abyss, all show, beyond any reasonable doubt, that during a part of the time they are at liberty to roam over other regions; that is, to occupy themselves with doing mischief to men on earth.

b) Another occasional temporary abode is that of desert places. This idea is associated with the representations made in several passages of the Old Testament. In Is. 13, 21 the forestdevils, hobgoblins, are represented as dancing over the ruins of Babylon. In Is. 34, 14 both these and then, the femalesprite or elf, are described as associating in their revels among the ruins of the Idumæan cities. In entire accordance with this imagery, Rev. 18, 2 represents the ruined spiritual Babylon as becoming “ the abode of demons,” κατοικητήριον δαιμόνων. In Matt. 12, 43, the unclean spirit, when expelled, is represented as

walking di avidowv rózov, through dry or desert places, seeking rest and finding none." This last circumstance shows, that such a banishment is of the nature of a penalty or punishment. A confinement to desert places of course abridges the power of the demon, and prevents him from doing harm to men. It is therefore of the like nature as confinement in the great abyss, although of less severity. It is, as we may say, the ordinary prison-room, and not the deepest dungeon. And when the Evangelists make mention of the desert, as the place whither Jesus was led in order to be tempted, is not the choice of place peculiarly appropriate? Greedily would the evil spirit there seize the opportunity to ply his work.

But we have evidence from other sources, that such were anciently the views of the Hebrews, in regard to the occasional abode of evil spirits. The book of Tobit (8, 3) represents Asmodeus or the destroyer, when cast out by Raphael, as fleeing "into the upper regions (ávázava) of Egypt," that is, into the wild and dreary parts of that country. So Baruch 4, 35, speaking of a desolate city, says: "It shall be inhabited by demons, for a long time." The book of Enoch, a work of the first century, exhibits the same usus loquendi: "The Lord said to Raphael, Bind Azazel [one of the leading apostate angels] hand and foot, and opening the desert in Dudael, cast him in there." Lower down we need not come for evidence of this nature; although we might find it in abundance. The recognitions of this mode of thinking and speaking among the Hebrews, in regard to evil spirits, are sufficiently plain and distinct in the New Testament; and when this is well understood, it serves to make several passages very plain, which otherwise would be quite unintelligible.

In making a comparison, now, between this and the preceding head, it is obvious, that evil spirits, although sometimes in the abyss, are not represented as being always there, even when they are banished from all opportunity of intercourse with men; for the manner in which our Saviour speaks of an unclean spirit, when cast out, viz. as 'walking through dry or desert places,' shows that this was the more usual punishment inflicted at least upon the demons of possession. And what else is all this but symbol or imagery, to show that evil spirits may be punished in different de

grees, and in a different way, before the final judgment? The more severe punishment is the abyss; the milder one, the desert; yet either secures, for the time being, the hapless men whom demons would otherwise annoy, from their malignant attacks. But the more congenial element for the abode of evil spirits, the one which is usual while they are permitted to annoy men, still remains to be mentioned.

c) Their usual abode is the air. By this I mean the whole region or space between the visible heavens and the earth; which is frequently named in Hebrew, and ovgavós in Greek.

Paul has adverted, more than once, to such a view of our subject. In Eph. 2, 2 he speaks of Satan as ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, prince of the aerial host. No other exegesis which has been given of this text, seems capable of abiding the test of philological examination; but this, as we shall see in the sequel, is altogether in conformity with the linguistic usage of Paul's day. So again in Eph. 6, 12 Paul says: "Our struggle is with the principalities and the powers, with the rulers of this darkness, [i. e. the rulers of benighted or wicked men,] with evil spirits in the aerial regions," that is, who dwell in or belong to the aerial regions. Surely Paul does not mean to say, that the Christian has a violent struggle with good angels in the heavenly world; nor does he here mean to designate heathen magistrates, for they cannot be characterized as being or living in the upper regions of the air. I see, therefore, no other probable exegesis of this passage.

In accordance with this scriptural mode of speaking in respect to evil spirits, we find examples in other writings of the first century. The Ascension of Isaiah, a work composed in the apostolic age, represents this prophet, when he is ascending to heaven, as 'seeing Sammael [Satan] and his powers in the upper regions of the air, and in violent contention with each other;' c. 7, 9-13. Again, in 10, 29 the prince of this world is represented as dwelling "in the region of the firmament," or in proximity with the or visible expanse of the heavens,-the same thing in substance as Paul's v rois inovqarious. In the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, another book equally ancient, it is said, in Test. Benj. c. 3, that "he who fears God and loves his neighbour, cannot be stricken inò