The poem was written as a humorous portrayal of the Devil and the pulpit oratory of the Presbyterian Church.
It begins by quoting from Milton's Paradise Lost as a contrast with the first two lines of the poem itself: O thou!
Whatever title suit thee, Auld Hornie, Satan, Nick or Clootie These lines are also a parody of a couplet in Alexander Pope's satire The Dunciad.
The poem is also skeptical of the Devil's existence and of his intentions to punish sinners for all eternity as in the stanza.
This contrasts with the views contained in works such as Paradise Lost and the preachings of the Church.