CHAP. XVI.
There is one thing more that would be necessary for the wise in Heart to know, which the Scriptures speak of in several Places; but I never heard any of the Ministry tell what that Satan is the Scriptures speak of, therefore I shall speak a Word or two to shew what Satan is, and so conclude. 1Chron.xxi. 1.And Satan stood up againstIsrael; andJobi. 6.And Satan came also among them; and Chap. xxi. 22.And the Lord said to Sathan, From whence comest thou? And God said to Satan, Hast thou considered my ServantJob? Ezek. iii. 1.And Satan standing at his right Hand.Mat. xvi. 23.Get the behind me, Satan.Luke x. 18.I beheld Satan as Lightning fall from Heaven.
1Chron.xxi. 1.And Satan stood up against Israel, and provokedDavidto number Israel. This Satan that provokedDavid, it was the Motions of Reason in himself, being lifted up in his own Mind, in that he had overcome the Children ofAmmon, he thought to make nothing of thePhilistines; therefore the Thoughts of his Heart moved him to number the People, to know his Strength. And this Motion that did arise in his Heart, it was Satan, it is called Satan, because those Motions proceed from the Spirit or Seed of Reason in him. In 2Sam.xxiv. 1. it is said,The Anger of the Lord was kindled againstIsrael,and he movedDavidagainst them to say, Go, numberIsrael: that is, the Lord suffered the Motions of Reason inDavidto be powerful and strong in him, that no Arguments should disswade him from it, but the People must be numbred; and this was that Satan inDavid, and no Spirit without him.
SoJobi. 6.The Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.To this I say, the Book ofJobis no Scripture, neither are Men to build their Faith upon it, because the Book ofJobwas written beforeMoses, therefore no Scripture; forMoseshis Writing is the first Foundation of Scripture. Yet this I do confess, thatJobwas a good and faithful Man; and because he was afflicted by Satan, and Satan is spoken of in several Places of Scripture, yet none of them did declare what this Satan is, therefore I shall declare now what that Satan was, that came among the Sons of God.
I declare, the Sons of God they were the Sons ofJob, who feasted their three Sisters, as you may read. They were called the Sons of God, because they were that good and faithful ManJob's Sons; as the Sons ofSethwere called the Sons of God, andthey looked upon the Daughters of Men, and saw that they were fair, &c. as you may read inGenesis. Now that Satan came amongst them when they presented themselves before the Lord, it was the Spirit of Reason inJob's seven Sons, when they feasted their three Sisters, they were moved in their Minds to Voluptuousness, Drunkenness and Lust, as the rest of the Heathen were where they lived; so that they did Wickedness in the Absence ofJobtheir Father: AndJobfearing in their Wickedness his Sons had cursed God in their Hearts, as you may see in the Verse before. SoJobcaused his Sons to present themselves before the Lord, and to worship the Lord, as it was the Manner forJobto do in those times, and Satan came with them, that is, the Spirit of Reason in his Sons came with them, reasoning in themselves; why should their FatherJobreprove them for their Wickedness in their Feasts; this was that Satan that came amongst them, for he was in them, and no other Satan but what was within them.
And this is that Satan that goeth to and fro in the Earth, to tempt and destroy those that are faithful: So that this Spirit of Reason, this Satan, it goeth to and fro in the Earth, to tempt and destroy the faithful.
It was that Satan that did motion theSabeansandChaldaeansto take awayJob's Oxen, and slay his servants as they were plowing; and fired the Sheep, and burnt upJob's Servants; and theChaldaeanscame with a Band of Men, seeingJobsmitten and destroyed by theSabeans; and they came with three Bands of Men, and destroyed the Camels and the rest of his Servants.
For this must be minded, that in those Times there was no Law to deliver or help the Innocent, but he that had the strongest Sword carried the Day. And the Lord for Trial ofJob's Faith and Patience, and for a Pattern for the Ages to come, he suffered the Spirit of unclean Reason in theSabeansandChaldaeansto go to and fro in the Earth, to stir up their People to destroyJoband all his House and Cattle.
Also God suffered the natural Wind to blow down the House whereJob's Sons were feasting, and destroyed them according to the Desire of the Spirit of unclean Reason in theSabeansandChaldaeans. For the Sons ofJobwere wicked Children, though called the Sons of God.
And last of all the Spirit of unclean Reason inJob's Wife was that Satan that temptedJobto curse God and die: So that there is no other Spirit or Satan without Man: But that Satan spoken of inJob, it was the Spirit of unclean Reason in the Minds of theSabeans,Chaldaeans, and inJob's Wife and Sons; that was the Satan, and no other.
And as for those Disputes; God had with Satan, and Satan with God; it was nothing else but the Motions ofJob's Heart passing through his troubled Soul, the Seed of Faith disputed in him for God, persuading him to be patient, and let that have its perfect Work, and so Hope did increase in him; and the Seed of Reason, which was Satan in him as well as in others, it pleaded against God, Reasoning in him as if God did not do well or justly by him, that had been so righteous in his Life, one who never did no Wrong to his Neighbour, but always feared God; yet that God should suffer the wicked to destroy his Cattle and Servants, and suffer the Wind to blow down his House, and destroy his Children; and not only so, but suffer his Body to break out with Boils and Botches most loathsome, as if he had been the greatest Sinner in the World; so that he thought that God dealt more cruelly with him then with any other Creature. And further, he thought God dealt hardly with him, that he would neither take away his Life, that he might die out of this troubled Mind and Pains of Body, nor restore him to Health. These and such like Reasonings and thoughts passed throughJob's troubled Soul even from the Spirit or Seed of Reason in him, which is the Dispute of Satan: For as the Seed of Faith inJobdisputed for God so did the Seed of Reason inJobdispute for Satan; for there is no other Satan but what is in Man, as I said before.
So inZach.iii. 1. hereZachariahthe Prophet saw in a Vision the Redemption of the Seed of Faith by Christ under the Type ofJoshuathe High-Priest, standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. This High-Priest was Christ clothed with filthy Garments, when he became Flesh, when on Earth he appeared unto Men, to be clothed in filthy Garments, being so mean, and had not a Place to lay his Head yet professed himself to be the Son of God, the High-Priest that should offer up himself for to save his People; for High-Priests in former Times did appear to the People with rich and glorious Garments; but this High-Priest doth appear to the Seed of Reason, to be clothed in filthy Garments, not fit (as Reason thinks) to stand before the Angel of the Lord.
And this Satan that stands as his right Hand to resist him, it was the Spirit of unclean Reason in those People of the Jews when Christ was upon Earth, and when that Devil that tempted Christ, spoken of inMatthew, disputed with Christ, he resisted the High-Priest, and stood at Christ's right Hand at that time; and this Devil that tempted Christ, it was a Man endued with an high Pitch of Reason, and that Spirit of Reason, or Wisdom of Reason, in that Man that tempted Christ the High-Priest, it was Satan that strove to resist Christ in dispute, whereupon Christ said,Get thee hence Satan.
This Satan was a Man, and the Spirit of Reason in this Man is that Satan that always resisteth the Wisdom of Faith, which is the Wisdom of God. But this hath been more largely treated upon in our other Writings, so I shall speak no more of that Devil and his Temptations here.
So inMatth.xvi. 23. Christ said untoPeter,Get thee behind me Satan. Here you seePeteris called Satan, because it was the Spirit of Reason inPeterthat said, Master, pity thy self: That is, the Thoughts ofPeter'sHeart they did savour of the fleshly part, that is, those Motions to persuade Christ to save himself from Death, they did arise from the Seed of Reason inPeter, therefore called Satan; for there was no new Spirit that came intoPeterat that time to cause him to speak those Words, but those Words proceeded from the Seed of Reason in him, as aforesaid, therefore called Satan.
And wheresoever that Expression is used, asPetersaid himself in theActs,Why hath Satan filled thine Heart to lie unto the Holy Ghost?that is, why hath the Motions of Reason in thee persuaded thy Heart to tell a Lie unto us, that have the Holy Ghost in us?
So the Reader may clearly see, there is no other Satan to tempt God or Man, but the Motions and Words that proceed from the Seed of Reason in Man and Woman.
So inLukex. 18.And Christ said unto his Disciples, I beheld Satan as Lightning fall from Heaven. This Christ spake, because his Disciples rejoyced that the Devils were subject to them. The Meaning of Christ was, that he saw the Spirit of Reason, that was in the Rulers of theJews, very high in the Righteousness of the Law ofMoses, even as if they were in Heaven, thinking in themselves that none could be more happy and surer of Heaven and Peace with God, then they that kept to the Law ofMoses.
Now Christ knowing that this Righteousness of theJews, should be thrown down by the Righteousness of Faith, which his Apostles should preach, therefore he saw by Faith that the Spirit of Reason in the Rulers of theJewsshould fall like Lightning from Heaven; and so it did, and the Disciples of Christ should, by the Doctrine and Righteousness of Faith, tread upon Serpents, and upon their Persecution, and upon their Righteousness of the Law ofMoses, and upon all that which did fall like Lightning from Heaven; they should tread upon Satan, that is, upon the very Wisdom of Reason the Devil.
This is the true meaning of Christ, when he beheld Satan fall from Heaven like Lightning, and what Satan is so much spoken of in Scripture. Much more might be said to enlarge this Point, but I have spoken more already then I did intend; but I suppose there is enough written here in short to satisfy those, that can understand by a little what a great deal Means. And also People may know when they speak of Satan what Satan is, and when they speak of the Devil, they may know what the Devil is.
So much concerning the Interpretation of Satan, and the Conclusion of this Epistle, written by
Lodowicke Muggleton.