many victims to the more successful endeavors of the prince of darkness!

Notwithstanding these sentiments are thought to be true, and of essential importance in the christian doctrine, yet we hear abundance said, find much written, and not a little sung of the glorious victory which Jesus won over the adversary, when he died, and rose from the dead. But if those sentiments be correct, which give the result of the warfare between Christ and the adversary, so much in favor of the latter, it is evident that another contest, and one more like victory would establish the adversary in universal dominion!

That we may, at once deliver our minds from all the inconsistencies which the common opinion concerning the devil involves, let us avail ourselves of the important fact, that no such sentiment is found in the scriptures, nor in the least favored by reason or common

sense.

That the devil was ever a holy angel we have no account in the scriptures; that any man was ever tempted by an agent distinct from the powers of flesh and blood we have no reason to believe. St. James says; Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.' And it is a fact, that we are never tempted to commit any sin, that may not be accounted for without a separate agent.

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The word devil, or satan, means an adversary, an enemy, an opposer. And this character every man finds in himself. Every man, being a partaker of flesh and blood, has the adversary in him, who tempts him to sin; and can say, with as much propriety as St. Paul did, "In me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing." The Apostle further says; "I delight in the law of God after the inward man. But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." Again he says, "the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would -Now

the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." Again he says; "the carnal mind is enmity against God, is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be."

This "carnal mind," this "law of sin," this enmity against God, is the devil, that has the power of death, for "to be carnally minded is death." Corruption and mortality are within the powers of flesh and blood, and the history of sin, evil, and death no where extends beyond those limits.

This power of the flesh was figuratively represented by the serpent, which beguiled Eve; and it was said to the serpent; " dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." The prophet Isaiah says; "dust shall be the serpent's meat.

This serpent is not an immortal spirit; for such a spirit surely would not feed on dust; and the words, "all the days of thy life," certainly indicate that the life of the serpent would come to an end.

It seems that our subject must now be plainly seen by the hearer.

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." That is, as the children of God, the heirs of life and immortality are partakers of flesh and blood, in order to abolish death and bring life and immortality to light; in order to destroy the devil and his works, and to triumph over all these earthly and carnal powers, Jesus took on him flesh and blood, was made in all points like unto his brethren, was tempted in all points as we are, subdued every temptation of the flesh, by the er of the spirit which he had without measure, laid down his natural life, arose from the dead incorruptible and immortal. "He dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him." Flesh and blood which cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption

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which cannot inherit incorruption are no more. The serpent's days are ended, he has no more dust to eat, he is destroyed and is no more.

If the adversary had an immortal constitution, could exist out of flesh and blood as well as in them, the putting off all flesh and blood, would only demolish one of the enemy's encampments, while it would leave him unbounded space and eternity to occupy still.

We may now draw to a conclusion, by an attempt to illustrate the following clause of our text; " And deliver them, who through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

For want of the knowledge of life and immortality, which Jesus has brought to light by his resurrection from the dead, men are perpetually subject to bondage through fear of death. But a belief in the gospel of our blessed Redeemer gives us a complete victory over all such fears. It enters the silent, dark mansion of the dead with a steady clear light which directs us to the bright abodes of immortal life.

The disciples of Jesus, who were favored with positive evidence of the resurrection of the Saviour, were so completely delivered from the bondage of fear, that they never hesitated to publish the doctrine of the resurrection even to the perpetual hazard of their lives.

Such was the persuasion which St. Paul had of the truth of the resurrection, and the glory of the future world, that he said; "I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better." This Apostle built all his hopes of a future existence on the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He says; "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.-But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.-For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." He further says; "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.-And as we have borne the im

age of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."

In the image of the earthy man we find the carnal mind, which is enmity against God, is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be. We find a law in our members warring against the law of our mind, and bringing us into captivity to the law of sin. We find all the fruits of the flesh, and all the devil, of which the Apostle speaks in our text, that has the power of death. But in the image of the heavenly man none of these things exist. No carnal mind, no enmity against God, no law in the members warring against the law of the mind. That flesh and blood which cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and that corruption which cannot inherit incorruption, will exist

no more.

The "whole creation," thus delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God, will realize the fulness of what we now see but in part.

My brethren, how near are these things! but a moment, as it were, separates us from the immortal scenes anticipated by the christian faith. The view of these eternal things and a steady belief in them, are present victory over the powers of the flesh. This is indeed a holy calling, a calling to heavenly-mindedness and heavenly conversation. These thoughts and contemplations are blossoms in the desert, they are pools in parched ground. This doctrine of eternal life is a river in a dry place, the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Jesus says; "In the world you shall have tribulation. but in me ye shall have peace. My friends do not reject and refuse this peace, this joy, this consolation, because it is free to all. You do not refuse the light and warmth of the sun because all men have it; why then will you turn your backs on the grace of Jesus because he is that wisdom which is without partiality?

LECTURE XVI.

THE SECOND DEATH.

REVELATION xxi. 8.

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.

THIS passage is among the number which have been used to prove a state of intolerable misery in the eternal world, and continually recited in those terrific sermons which were designed to awaken the fears, and operate on the timidity of the ignorant.

Our duty leads us to investigate the use which has been made of this passage, to examine the propriety of its common application, and as plainly as possible refute whatever may appear incongruous with the word of God, and the doctrine of his grace. It will likewise be expected, that suitable labor will be directed to discover the true sense of this, and similar pas

sages.

Our text informs us, that the lake of fire and brimstone is the second death, and as this death is called "the second death," it evidently refers to a first death. The common doctrine of the church supposes that the first death is the death of the natural body, and the second death the eternal condemnation of the soul and body after the resurrection, in a state of the most exquisite torture.

There seems to be no small inconsistency in this opinion, in that it makes the second death to be second to something as entirely different from itself as any thing could be invented. The death of the body consists in a total extinction of animal life, in an entire