THE DEVIL'S OWN ACKNOWLEDGMENT.

579

dethrone and depose the Majesty of heaven, that yet Heaven had not prepared, or could not prepare, a just penalty for him; and that it should not all end in God's entire victory over hell, and in Satan's open condemnation. Heaven could not be just to its own glory, if he should not avenge himself upon this rebel, for all his superlative wickedness in his modern as well as ancient station; for the blood of so many millions of his faithful subjects and saints whom he has destroyed; and if nothing else offered itself to prove this part, it would appear undoubted to me; but this, I confess, does not belong to Satan's history, and therefore I have reserved it to this place, and shall also be the shorter in it.

That his condition is to be a state of punishment, and that by torment, the Devil himself has owned; and his calling out to our blessed Lord when he cast him out of the furious man among the tombs, is a proof of it; What have we to do with thee, and art thou come to torment us before the time? Luke viii. 28; where the Devil acknowledges four things, and three of them are directly to my present purpose, and if you won't believe the Word of God, I hope you will believe the Devil, especially when it is an open confession against himself.

1. He confessed Christ to be the Son of God (that by the way) and no thanks to him, for that does not want the Devil's evidence.

2. He acknowledges he may be tormented.

3. He acknowledges Christ was able to torment him. 4. He acknowledges that there is a time appointed when he shall be tormented.

As to how, in what manner, and by what means, this tormenting the Devil is to be performed or executed, that I take to be as needless to us as it is impossible to know, and being not at present inclined to fill your heads and thoughts with weak and imperfect guesses, I leave it where I find it.

It is enough to us, that this torment of the Devil is represented to us by fire, it being impossible for our confined thoughts to conceive of torment by anything in the world more exquisite; whence I conclude, that devils shall at last receive a punishment suitable to their spiritous nature, and as exquisitely tormenting as a burning fire would be to our bodies.

Having thus settled my own belief of this matter, and stated it so as I think will let you see it is rightly founded, the matter stands thus:

Satan having been let loose to play his game in this world, has improved his time to the utmost; he has not failed on all occasions to exert his hatred, rage, and malice, at his conqueror and enemy, namely, his Maker; he has not failed, from principles of mere envy and pride, to pursue mankind with all possible rancour, in order to deprive him of the honour and felicity which he was created for, namely, to succeed the Devil and his angels in the state of glory from which they fell.

This hatred of God, and envy at man, having broken out in so many several ways in the whole series of time from the creation, must necessarily have greatly increased his guilt; and as Heaven is righteous to judge him, must terminate in an increase of punishment, adequate to his crime, and sufficient to his nature.

Some have suggested, that there is yet a time to come, when the Devil shall exert more rage, and do more mischief than ever yet he has been permitted to do; whether he shall break his chain, or be unchained for a time, they cannot tell, nor I neither; and it is happy for my work, that even this part too does not belong to his history; if ever it shall be given an account of by mankind, it must be after it is come to pass, for my part is not prophecy, or foretelling what the Devil shall do, but history of what he has done.

Thus, good people, I have brought the history of the Devil down to your own times; I have, as it werc, raised him for you, and set him in your view, that you may know him, and have a care of him.

If any cunninger men among you think they are able now to lay him again, and so dispose of him out of your sight, that you shall be troubled no more with him, either here or hereafter, let them go to work with him in their own way; you know things future do not belong to an historian, so I leave him among you, wishing you may be able to give no worse an account of him for the time to come, than I have done for the time past.

THE END OF THE HISTORY OF THE DEVIL

CATALOGUE OF

BOHN'S LIBRARIES. .

N.B.-It is requested that all orders be accompanied by payment. Books are sent carriage free on the receipt of the published price in stamps or otherwise.

The Works to which the letters 'N. S. (denoting New Style) are appended are kept in neat cloth bindings of various colours, as well as in the regular Library style. All Orders are executed in the New binding, unless the contrary is expressly stated.

Complete Sets or Separate Volumes can be had at short notice, half-bound in calf or morocco.

New Volumes of Standard Works in the various branches of Literature are constantly being added to this Series, which is already unsurpassed in respect to the number, variety, and cheapness of the Works contained in it. The Publishers have to announce the following Volumes as recently issued or now in preparation:

Boswell's Life of Johnson. New Edition. 6 vols.

Manual of Philosophy. By E. Belfort Bax.

Goldsmith's Works. Vols. I. and II.

Fairholt's History of Costume.

[In the press.

I vol.

[Ready, see p. 5.

[In the press.

Hoffmann's Stories. Translated by Major Ewing.

[In the press.

LONDON G. BELL & SONS, 4 YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

BOHN'S LIBRARIES.

STANDARD LIBRARY.

294 Vols. at 3s. 6d. each, excepting those marked otherwise. (517. 10s. 6d. per set.)