An inquiry into the existence of a personal devil / [By John Epps.

Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An inquiry into the existence of a personal devil / [By John Epps. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    29 As a further illustration of the application of the word Satan to a state of body, adverse to health, the history of the cure of the woman by Christ, can be beneficially quoted. 83 “ And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called, and said unto her. Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work, in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath, loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering ? And ought not this woman, being a daugh- ter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day ? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glo- rious things that were done by him.” “ Satan hath bound this woman,” that is, she has been afflicted with a state adverse to health. That her affliction was a mere bodily disorder, is quite apparent from the passage itself, in which it is described as a spirit of infirmity, a spirit of astheneia; but to infer that an invisible being called Satan, is this spirit of infirmity, would be as absurd, as to argue, that, be- cause the phrases, the spirit of holiness, the spirit of truth, the spirit of justice, occur, holiness, truth, and justice, are invisible supernatural beings. The primary idea, connected with Satan, being adversary, the term may apply to adverse circumstances. In such sense the word occurs in the following passage : 84 “ And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saitli the first and the last, wdiich was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich,) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” Here the word Satan is applied to an assembly of men, who spolce evil of, (for this is the correct meaning of the word blaspheme, which is applied in Scripture to the evil speaking, by men, of men as well as of God,) and were adverse to, the disciples; and, as an illustration of the adverseness of the state in which these men vrere to the disciples, it is recorded, 85 “Lear none of those things which thou shalt suffer; behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribula- tion ten days : be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The adversary being here referred to in the character of the false accuser, causing them, by this false accusation, to be placed in prison, in adverse circumstances. The same view, namely, the application of the word Satan to a state of adverse circumstances, is borne out, in the address to the church in Per- gamos : 86 “ And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write : These things saith he, which hath the sharp sword with two edges ; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is; and thou holdest fast 86 Rev. ii. 12, 13.