Page:History of the Devil, ancient and modern (2).pdf/8

 propriety of ſpeech, and without injuſtice to his

character, be called by his ancient name, Devil.

That he is of an ancient and noble original muſt

be acknowledged; for he is a heaven born and of

angelic race, as has been touched already. If

Scripture-evidence may be of any weight in the

queſtion, there is no room to doubt the genealogy

of the Devil. He is not only ſpoken of as an

angel, but as a fallen angel; one that had been in

heaven, had beheld the face of God in his full ef-

fulgence of glory, and ſurrounded the throne of

the Moſt High; from whence commencing rebel,

and being expelled, he was caſt down, down,

down, God and the Devil himſelf only know

where; for indeed we cannot ſay that may man

on earth knows it; and wherever he is, he has,

ſince man's creation, been a plague to him—been

a tempter, a ſeducer, a calumniator, an enemy,

and the object of man's horror and averſion.

How long the Devil remained wandering or

confined in chaos, or how he employed himſelf,

hiſtory is ſilent, and tradition ſays but little.

Rabbi Judah ſays, the Jews are of opinion, that

he remained twenty thouſand years in that cond-

ition, and that the world would contain twenty

thouſand more, in which he ſhall find work enough

to ſatisfy his miſchievous deſires; but he ſhows

no authority for his opinions. Indeed let the

Devil have been as idle as they think he was be-

fore, it muſt be acknowledged that he now is the

moſt buſy, vigilant and diligent of God's crea-

tures, and very full of employment too, ſuch as

this.

As the Devil's Hiſtoriographer Royal has not

yet favoured us with any publication of his infer-

nal Highneſs, we are left much in the dark for

materials, and muſt draw them as inferences from