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    we are not certain that we understanc U . " Our Lord here clearly designates th < future punishment to be inflicted on those who do not fear God , by a metaphorica allusion to this mode of punishing

    criminals . * It was a human , not a divine sentence y it was temporal in its nature and origin ; a reference to it , therefore , could not be understood as intending to convej the idea that the future punishment of those who did not fear God would be eternal ^ like the Hell of the Assembly ' s Catechism ; nor did he hint , in the most distant way , that the sentence to which he alluded , was an association with the Devil and

    his angels . "—Pp . 575 , 576 . Lecture XXIII . is from Isaiah xlv . 7 , and the design of it is expressed in the following comment upon the text :

    " The prophet here rejects , from Jehovah himself , the * idea of an evil being , the cause of evil and misery of any kind to the human race , and asserts from Him , that He alone is supreme and

    omnipotent ; that , besides Him , there is no powerful , omnipresent being , no universal principle of action , no source of good , no author of evil to any of his rational creatures : * I , Jehovah , am the author of all these things . " —P . 591 .

    In this Lecture , Mr . Scott considers the question , ' * Whether the rejection of the Devil out of the Christian system , will not remove a salutary check from the minds of men , by inducing them to cast off not merely the fear of him , but also the restraints of religion and the fear of God . "

    " To this it may be briefly replied , that the principle of fear is not the principle of obedience which is recommended in the Christian Scriptures . They who believe a Devil to be necessary to keep men in the fear of God , and render them submissive to the Divine will , compare the kind and benevolent Father of mankind

    to a slave - holder , and themselves to slaves , requiring a slave-driver , the Devil , to be continually following them with his instrument of punishment , lest their fears should relax , and they become inattentive to the task allotted them . Is it , then , my brethren , the Devil who keeps you honest ? Are the commands of God

    insufficient for this purpose ? When you have a fair opportunity of defrauding others rtkhout detection , is it the Devil who Bl&ps in and prevents you ? When you Are going to tell a - wilful , deliberate falsehood , to serve souie vile , base end ,

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    does the Devil present himself to you shaking Mb instrument of flagellation at you , restrain you , and instantly make you speak the truth contrary to your intention ? When you are about to defame others or to injure them , by ativ in their and

    means , reputation character are you induced to desist by the Devil threatening to burn your tongue with fire and brimstone ? When you are about to commit a crime , or to indulge in any vice , are you prevented by the fear of the Devil coming aud carrying you off

    with him into his infernal dominions ? If such be the nature of the motives which influence your conduct , you are the worshipers of the Devil and not of God , whose authority with you is perfectly nugatory ; it is the Devil who is

    all-sufficient with you . Your principles of obedience are not gospel principles ; for the Christian Scriptures command us to honour , serve and obey God from a principle 6 f love , and not from a slavish fear or dread . "—Pp . 597 , 598 .

    The XXIVth and last Lecture is upon Future Punishment , which the author maintains will be temporary and remedial . Here again he opposes " the Heathenish notion , " ( as k , e freely calls it , ) " of there being a principle in man which is naturally immortal . " This description of a tenet held by the majority of the wise as well as the vulgar of all sects in all ages , is perhaps not to be censured in a work professedl y polemical ; but we would suggest whether it be quite correct or altogether candid to say , as the

    Lecturer says , p . 627 , that ' the doctrine of a continuation of being at death , by one part of the human frame being immortal , is in opposition to the teachings of Christ and hi 3 Apostles , and must , therefore , be antichristian" ?—The practical reflections which conclude the Lecture are truly excellent . Mr . Scott closes with" an

    exposition of his design in taking up such a subject and defending so unpopular an hypothesis , and with a solemn appeal to the understanding and conscience of his audience . We have said nearly all that we intended upon this work . The reader will have seen that we consider it

    highly qredkable to the talents , industry and moral courage and Christian faithfulness of the preacher . It contains a mass of information , taken from the best authorities , on , every

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    726 Review . — Scott ? s Lectures on the Devil .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1823, page 726, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1791/page/46/