8. Afflictions try mankind.

Often misimproved.

Dt. 8: 2 Thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna. [See 4.]

9. Afflictions often misimproved and magnified.

Job 10: 15 I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction; 16 For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion and again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me. 17 Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me. 18 Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!— 16: 12 I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.

Is. 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. -9: 13 The people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.

Jer. 5: 3 O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than'a rock; they have refused

to return.

Lam. 1: 12 Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. 13 From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.—3: 10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. 11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Am. 4: 6 I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 7-11.

[See 569, 700.]

Duties to the aged-Angels numerous-their employment.

AGED PERSONS.

10. Duties to the aged.

Lev. 19: 32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.

1 Tim. 5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father, and the younger men as brethren; 2 The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.

1 Pet. 5: 5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. [See 730.]

11. Angels numerous.

ANGELS.

Heb. 12:22 Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.

Rev. 5: 11 I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.

12. Employment of good angels.

2 S. 24: 16 The angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it.

2 K. 19: 35 It came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred four score and five thousand.

Job 38: 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Ps. 91: 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Dan. 6: 22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths. 9: 21 Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

Mat. 13: 39 The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity. - 18: 10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you,

that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Lk. 16: 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.

Heb. 1: 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation?

13. Apostasy of angels.

ANGELS APOSTATE.

2 Pet. 2: 4 God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.

Jude 6 The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day.

Rev. 12: 7 There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

14. Names of apostate angels.

Is. 27: 1 Leviathan, the piercing and crooked serpent. Mat. 4: 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.-10: 1 Unclean spirits.-13: 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil.- Mk. 5: 9 Legion. Lk. 11: 15 Beelzebub. — Jn. 8: 44 Murderer, liar. 14: 30 The prince of this world. 2 Cor. 4: 4 The god of this world.- Ep. 2: 2 The prince of the power of the air. 6: 12 The rulers of the darkness of this world. 1 Pet. 5: 8 Your adversary the devil. Rev. 9: 11 Abaddon, (Heb.) Apollyon, (Gr.)-12: 9 Great dragon, old serpent, devil, and Satan.-9: 10 The accuser of the brethren.

15. Character, employment and agency of evil spirits.

Job 1: 7 The LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Mat. 13: 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil.

39

Their character and employment.

Lk. 4: 5 The devil, taking him up into a high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.-8: 12 Those by the way-side, are they that hear;. then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.-22: 31 The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.

Jn. 8: 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth; because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.-13: 2 Supper being ended, (the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him.)

Ac. 5: 3 Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

2 Cor. 2: 11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.-4: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Ep. 2: 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.-6: 12 We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

2 Tim. 2: 26 That they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 1 Pet. 5: 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

Rev. 2: 24 Unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, As many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.-12: 9 The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. 10 I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night, 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Wo to the inhabiters of the earth, and of the sea! for

Their devices-Suggestions of.

the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 20: 7 When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations.

16. By what means and devices do apostate angels lead mankind into sin and death?

Gen. 3: 13 The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

1 Ch. 21: 1 Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

2 Cor. 11: 3 I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

2 Th. 2: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders. 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish.

1 Tim. 4: 1 The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

2 Tim. 2: 26 That they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Rev. 16: 13 I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

[See 474, 702.]

17. Suggestions of the adversary.

1. That sinners will escape threatened punishment.

Gen. 3: 4 The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

2. That there is nothing but selfishness in religion.

Job 1:9 Satan answered the LORD and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.