The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-08-07

der of disgust, says in so many words that he
was an habitual thief (John xii. g..
Doubtless other motives mingled with,
strengthened-perhaps to the self-deceiving
! and blinded soul substituted themselves for
the predominant one. "Will not this meas
ure," he may have thought, force him to
declare his Messianic kingdom? At the worst,
can he not save himself by miracle? If not,
has he not told us repeatedly that he will die;
| and if SO, why may not reap little advan-
| tage from that which is inevitable?" A thou
| sand such devilish suggestions may have
| formulated themselves in the traitors heart,
| and mingled with them was the revulsion of
| feeling which he suffered from finding that
his self-denial in following JESUS would,
after all, be apparently in vain; that he would
gain from it not rank and wealth, but only
poverty and persecution. Perhaps, too there
was something of rancor at being rebuked,
. perhaps something of despairing hatred
at the consciousness that he was suspected.
. Probably by this time a turbid, con-
fused chaos of sins was welterlng In the soul
of Judas-malice, worldly ambition, theft,
hatred of all that was good and pure, base
ingratitude, frantic anger, all eliminating in
this foul and frightful act of treachery-all
rushing with blind, bewildering fury through
the gloomy soul.
"Satan entered into him." That, after all,
whether literal or a metaphorical express
sion, best describes his awful state.-Fdr-
rdr'S Life of CHRIST.
The devil or Satan, diaboHs Satanus,
means false accuser and occurs thirty three
times, three times plural, 2 Tim i'll. q lin.
iii. IL Tit. ii. 3, and stands for the induce
ments that arise out of mans animal nature
to draw the higher nature down; animal ap
petite, ambition, service of evil for the sake
of worldly good. James says, every
man when he is tempted is drawn away by
hiseown lusts and enticed." James describes
in plain terms what are personified and allie
gorized in dramatic form by the Evangel-
lists. Satan, the devil, the tempter, is the''law
of members" the animal nature assailing
the moral or spiritual being. W. Hanson,
DID,, "The New Covenant"
Under the terms Satan and the devil we
may understand, (d) apersonitication of those
passions and propensities of humanity which,
unresisted, lead astray from rectitude: and,
(b) one who has been led astray from them.
Wherever there is conscious human soul,
we suppose there is such Satan, enchanted
or rampant. There is not an innocent crav-
ing or necessity of our lower nature but may
become our devil,-ou spiritual adversary,
if rising toward unlawful desire. JESUS was
that he twas in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin" Hebrews iv. 15). Fa-
ther Ballou was once asked if he did not be-
lieve in the devil: NO." he sid, Il believe
in the LORD JESUS CHRIST" The reply was
quaint and significant. We are not to wor-
ship the devil, as a being outside of ourselves,
even by our fears. The adversary is within,
and calls for vatchfulness lest it bring forth
SIM Better still, by reception of the spirit of
JESUS, let US have no power or scope of evil
S. S. Helper, June, 1886.