SPINOZA denies the existence of the Devil, and says, in the _Short
Treatise_, that if he is the mere opposite of God and has nothing from
God, he is simply the Nothing. But if a philosophical doctrine be true,
it does not follow that as it stands it is applicable to practical
problems. For these a rule may have to be provided, which, although it
may not be inconsistent with the scientific theorem, differs from it in
form. The Devil is not an invention of priests for priestly purposes,
nor is he merely a hypothesis to account for facts, but he has been
forced upon us in order that we may be able to deal with them. Unless we
act as though there were an enemy to be resisted and chained, if we
fritter away differences of kind into differences of degree, we shall
make poor work of life. Spinoza himself assumes that other commands than
God’s may be given to us, but that we are unhesitatingly to obey His and
His only. “Ad fidem ergo catholicam,” he says, “ea solummodo pertinent,
quæ erga Deum _obedientia_ absolute ponit.” Consciousness seems to
testify to the presence of two mortal foes within us—one Divine and the
other diabolic—and perhaps the strongest evidence is not the rebellion of
the passions, but the picturing and the mental processes which are almost
entirely beyond our control, and often greatly distress us. We look down
upon them; they are not ours, and yet they are ours, and we cry out with
St. Paul against the law warring with the law of our minds. Bunyan of
course knows the practical problem and the rule, and to him the Devil is
not merely the tempter to crimes, but the great Adversary. In the _Holy
War_ the chosen regiments of Diabolus are the Doubters, and
notwithstanding their theologic names, they carried deadlier weapons than
the theologic doubters of to-day. The captain over the Grace-doubters
was Captain Damnation; he over the Felicity-doubters was Captain
Past-hope, and his ancient-bearer was Mr. Despair. The nature of the
Doubters is “to put a question upon every one of the truths of Emanuel,
and their country is called the Land of Doubting, and that land lieth off
and furthest remote to the north between the land of Darkness and that
called the Valley of the Shadow of Death.” They are not children of the
sun, and although they are not sinners in the common sense of the word,
those that were caught in Mansoul were promptly executed.
There is nothing to be done but to fight and wait for the superior help
which will come if we do what we can. Emanuel at first delayed his aid
in the great battle, and the first brunt was left to Captain Credence.
Presently, however, Emanuel appeared “with colours flying, trumpets
sounding, and the feet of his men scarce touched the ground; they hasted
with such celerity towards the captains that were engaged that . . .
there was not left so much as one Doubter alive, they lay spread upon the
ground dead men as one would spread dung on the land.” The dead were
buried “lest the fumes and ill-favours that would arise from them might
infect the air and so annoy the famous town of Mansoul.” But it will be
a fight to the end for Diabolus, and the lords of the pit escaped.
After Emanuel had finally occupied Mansoul he gave the citizens some
advice. The policy of Diabolus was “to make of their castle a
warehouse.” Emanuel made it a fortress and a palace, and garrisoned the
town. “O my Mansoul,” he said, “nourish my captains; make not my
captains sick, O Mansoul.”