On a review of these passages, it is clear that some of them prove the personality of Satan. But I think that evil is sometimes attributed to him, not because it proceeds from his strict and proper agency on mankind, but because he originally introduced it, because he delights in it, and because the immediate authors of it imitate his disposition.

Tillotson does not see "how by any means it can be granted, without prejudice to the prerogative of God, which the scripture plainly gives him, of being the only knower of the heart, that the devil can have so immediate an access to our minds as to put wicked thoughts into them;" and he affirms, "that all the inward motions of our souls are totally exempted from the immediate cognizance of any other spirit but God alone." He allows indeed "that a heart wickedly bent and inclined gives the devil a great advantage to tempt men more powerfully, by presenting the occasions of wicked thoughts and actions to them: for it is usual in scripture phrase, as to ascribe all good motions to God's Spirit, so all evil thoughts and actions to the devil, not that he is the immediate cause of them, but because he is always ready to tempt men to them, and one way or other to promote thema."

Dr. Clarke observes b, that " though in scripture phrase the moral incapacity of men is frequently ascribed to the delusions of Satan; as when Satan is said to take away the word out of the hearts of men, and to fill their hearts, and the like; yet this is never spoken by way of excuse, but always, on the contrary, of high aggravation. They out of whose heart Satan

23; Luke vi. 45; Rom. xii. 9:
see the former sense; and Matt.
xiii. 19, 38; Eph. vi. 16; 1 John
ii. 13, 14; iii. 12; v. 18, for the

latter sense.

a Serm. on the knowledge of God, vol. i: Ser. lxxx. fol. p. 604. b Serm. lxvii. p. 415, 416. fol.

taketh away the word are by our Saviour compared to, and blamed for being like unto, the very worst and most unfruitful ground. And Ananias, whose heart Satan had filled, was asked by St. Peter, in the way of Act. v. 3. severe reproof, 'Why hath Satan filled (that is, why hast thou been so wicked, so covetous, so corrupt, as to suffer Satan to fill) thine heart?" "

The common scripture phraseology must be under

stood in a sense consistent with St. James's maxim :

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'Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his Jam. i. 14. own desires, and enticed."

SECT. VII. What our Lord teaches of particular duties. WHEN Jesus had astonished the people by an answer and reproof which put the Sadducees to silence, a scribe, or teacher of the law, among the Pharisees, tried his wisdom by further asking him, which was Mat. xxii. the first and great commandment of all in the law 33-39, and of Moses. Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; Jehovah our God is one Jehovahd: and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength this is the first and great commandAnd the second is like unto itf: Thou shalt

ment.

d Some think that the Hebrew should be rendered, "Jehovah our God, even Jehovah, is one."

e Deut. vi. 5. The Vat. MS. of the Greek version has diávola for heart, and the Alex. and Ald. MSS. have kapdía. Kircher, in his Concordance, shows that b or, heart, is translated duávora twenty-eight times by the Greek interpreters: see particularly Lev. xix. 17, Deut. vii. 17; whereas WD, soul, is never thus rendered.

p. p.

love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other greater commandment than these."

It is observable that both these eminent precepts were before referred to by a Jewish teacher, who asked our Lord what he should do to inherit everlasting life, and was himself asked how he read in the law. The scribe might have known the tenour of Jesus's doctrine in an advanced period of his ministry with respect to that very point about which he inLuk. x. 27. quired; but St. Luke, not intent on extolling our Lord's character by excluding others from the praise of religious wisdom, attributes this most admirable reply to the Jewish instructor himself. However, we may infer from the gospel history that the Jews formed different opinions about the comparative excellence of real or supposed duties. The Pharisees distinguished Mar. vii. 8. themselves by magnifying the tradition of the elders, Mar.vii. 3,4, by frequent ablutions, by avoiding legal defilement, Luk. xviii. by stated fastings, and by a minute tithing of all their substance. We learn also that, in our Lord's time, the Jews were scrupulous observers of the sabbath and of other solemn festivals: and when the scribe applauds our Lord for preferring the love of God, and remarks that it was more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifice, he teaches us that religious acts of that particular class were held in very high estimation.

15.

12.

Mat. xxiii. 23.

Mar. ii. 24.

iii. 2.

Jo. v. 10.

xviii. 28. Mar. xii. 33.

13.

Mat. vi. 7

In this state of things, our Lord teaches his disciples Luk. xviii. that their worship of God should be humble, simple, and spiritual. He speaks thus with a decisive and commanding authority: "There is none other greater Jo. iv. 24. commandment than to love God and our neighbour. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. This do, and thou shalt live.”

13.

Mar. xii.

31.

Mat. xxii. 40.

Luk. x. 28.

With a like superiority to Jewish prejudices, our Lord extends the signification of the term neighbour

beyond local and religious considerations, to every fellow-creature capable of receiving from us offices of humanity: commanding us to imitate the Samaritan, Luk. x. 37. whose character represents that of a truly merciful man; and who acted the part of a neighbour to a wounded Jew, though the Jews had no dealings with Jo. iv. 9. the Samaritans, and though the Samaritans, fired by the same political and religious enmity, withheld from

the Jews every act of hospitality, even to a cup of cold Luk. ix. 53.

water.

Jo. iv. 9.

Mat. xv.19.

8, 5.

xxiv. 49.

35. xvii. 17,

X.

v. 9, 16.

xviii. 4. xix.

14. V. 44.

The sublime morality of our heavenly Teacher regulates not only our actions, but our words and Mat.xii. 37. thoughts. To give a general and imperfect view of it. He enjoins moderation of desire; purity of heart; Mat. v. 3, meekness; humility; self-denial; temperance; libe- xxii. 12. rality; gratitude; prudence; a fearless discharge of xvi. 24. our duty; secresy in almsgiving, in prayer, and in fast- Luk. vi. 38, ing; a studious cultivation of peace; exemplariness of 18. conduct; the recommending of our pious acts by being Mat. vii. 6. reconciled to our brother; the sincere, harmless, lowly vi. 3, 6, 18. and placable disposition of children; repeated forgive- Mat. v. 24. ness of offences; and such a love of our enemies as to return blessings, prayers, and acts of goodness for vi. 14. xviii. their execrations, hatred, and injuries. He thus begins his public preaching: "Repent ye, and believe the Mar. i. 15. gospel." He declares that acting towards others as we Mat. vii. 12. might reasonably expect, in like circumstances, that they should act towards us, was the substance and end of the law and the prophets. He teaches us to judge of actions by the goodness of the intention, and by the Mar. xii. ability and opportunities of those who perform them. 41-44 The weightier matters of his law are, the love of God, 48. xi. 42. justice, mercy, and fidelity: he will have mercy rather than sacrifice and the moral precepts of the Mosaic xii. 7. law are as carefully extended by him as its numerous

C

22.

Luk. xii. 47,

Mat. xxiii.

23. ix. 13.

Luk. xii. 15.

Mat. v. 34,

37. Mar. viii.

12.

Mat. xxvi.

63, 64. Mat. xix.

5. and p. p.

xix. 9. v. 21,

V. 27, 28.

Mar. vii.

21, 22. and p. p.

Luk. xii. 1. positive ones are reduced. He strongly cautions against Mat.vii. 1,2. hypocrisy, censoriousness, and covetousness. He allows of oaths on solemn occasions only, and not in common discourse he condemns polygamy, and restrains divorce to the case of adultery. He forbids not only murder, but hatred, reviling, and causeless anger; not only adultery, but the unrestrained eye and desire. Mat. v. 32. He teaches that his disciples are not defiled by eating 22. xix. 18. with unwashen hands; but by evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, theft, false witness, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye of envy and malignity, blasphemy, pride, and the foolishness of mad and ungoverned passions. He imAct. xv. 10. poses no burdensome and enslaving yoke on his disciples. His positive precepts and ordinances are few, simple, significant, and of great practical influence: "Believe in God: BELIEVE ALSO IN ME." "Whatsoever you ask the Father IN MY NAME, he will give it you." "He that believeth, AND IS BAPTIZED, shall be in a state of salvation." PARTAKE OF BREAD AND WINE solemnly and jointly, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME, your Lawgiver, your Redeemer from the guilt of sin and the power of death, and your Benefactor even to dying for you on the cross, and to bestowing on you the gift of everlasting life.

Gal. v. I.

Jo.xiv. 1,13.

14. xvi. 23,

4.

Mar. xvi. 16.

f Luke xxii. 19, 20. and p. p. Lord Bolingbroke speaks thus of baptism and the Lord's supper:

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No institutions can be imagined more simple, nor more void of all those pompous rites and theatrical representations that abounded in the religious worship of the heathen and the Jews, than these two were in their origin. They were not

only innocent, but profitable ceremonies, because they were extremely proper to keep up the spirit of true natural religion, by keeping up that of Christianity, and to promote the observation of moral duties, by maintaining a respect for the revelation that confirmed them." Works, 4°. vol. IV. 302.