Discourses Upon Several Divine Subjects, Part 2

Discourses Upon Several Divine Subjects · Part 2

p. 261 PET. Ch. v. Ver. 8.

Your Adverſary the Devil, as a Roaring Lion, walketh about, ſeeking whom he may devour.

WHether that ancient Opinion of the Heathens de invidiâ Daemonis had its Riſe only from thoſe grand Cheats and Deluſions which the more inquiſitive and ſearching Heads amongſt them obſerv'd to be impos'd upon the World, not only in their more common and ordinary ways of divination, but likewiſe by the moſt celebrated Oracles themſelves, as **De Myſt. Aegypt.Jamblichus argues; or rather, as the Learned ††Orig. of Temp. Eo.Caſaubon contends, borrow'd its Original from the Hiſtory of the Fall of Man, which the ſeveral Nations are ſuppos'd to have receiv'd by Tradition from the Sons of Noah, and Plato more particularly from ſome Learned Jews in Egypt; I ſhall not take upon me to determine: My preſent p. 27Scope and Deſign being only to ſhew;

1. That in the Confeſſion of All, as well Heathens as Chriſtians, there are a ſort of wicked and malignant Daemons, which are Enemies to mankind. Expreſs'd in theſe Words of my Text, The Devil, your Adverſary.

2. That theſe wicked and malignant Daemons are permitted to wander up and down in the Earth. Expreſs'd in theſe Words, The Devil, your Adverſary, walketh about.

3. To lay open, with what indefatigaable Pains and various Stratagems they ſeek to ruine Men, and with what Cruelty they treat them, when they are deliver'd up into their hands: Expreſs'd and imply'd in theſe words, As a roaring Lyon he walketh about, ſeeking whom he may devour.

4. Though they have Malice enough to deſtroy us all, yet that they cannot do us the leaſt Miſchief, unleſs God permits them. Expreſs'd in theſe Words, Seeking whom he may devour; or, may be permited to devour.

1. In the Confeſſion of All, as well Heathens as Chriſtians, there are a ſort of wicked and malignant Daemons, which are Enemies to mankind. Should we take the Wings of the Morning and travel over all p. 28the Nations of the Earth, we ſhould find but very few among the Reputed Sages of the Heathen World, who did not acknowledge and maintain this great Truth. foreign, ſays **Lib. de Iſ…d. & Oſir. p. 369.Plutarch, It is the Opinion of the moſt, and wiſeſt of them: And juſt before more at large; foreign. This Tradition, ſays he, is very ancient, deduc'd from the Eldeſt Theologiſts and Legiſlators to the Poets and Philoſophers, whoſe firſt Author cannot be found, and yet hath gain'd firm and unſhaken Belief, not only in ordinary Diſcourſes and Reports, but hath likewiſe diffus'd it ſelf into the Myſteries and Sacrifices both of Greeks and Barbarians: The Truth of which Aſſertion, we find amply confirm'd by the concurrent Teſtimony of Diogenes Laertius, ††Prooem. ad. vit. Philoſoph.who tells of the Perſian Magi, that they acknowledg'd two diſtinct Principles, foreign, a Good and a Bad Daemon; and for the Confirmation of what he ſays, quotes Eudoxus, Hermippus, Ariſtotle, and Theopompus. And the Egyptian Typho is in every ones mouth, to whom they aſcrib'd all that was evil; as they did whatever was good to Iſis and Oſiris. Neither did this Opinion confine p. 29it ſelf within the narrower Limits of Egypt and Perſia; but, like Nebuchadnezzar's Tree, planted and rooted in the midſt of the Earth, it grew and was ſtrong, and the Boughs thereof reach'd unto Heaven, and the Branches thereof to the end of all the Earth. The Romans did not ſhake off its Leaves, or cut off its Branches; and the Graecians delighted themſelves under the Shadow of it: the latter as **Lib. de Iſid. & Oſirid. p. 370.Plutarch witneſſeth, attributing what was good to Jupiter Olympius, what was evil to Hades; the former, ſaith ††Noct. Attic. l. 5. c. 12.A. Gellius, ſacrificing to Dijovis, that he might do them good, and appeaſing his Anti-God Vejovis, as he might do them no harm.

It muſt indeed be confeſs'd, That this Opinion, (as 'tis vulgarly underſtood) how ancient and univerſal ſoever, is diametrically oppoſite both to Scripture and Reaſon; it ſetting up two contrary Principles equally inveſted with infinite Power, and ſo by neceſſary Conſequence deſtroying them both, with many other Abſurdities and Contradictions, which this is not a proper time to enumerate. Yet this doth not diminiſh one Ray from the Illuſtration it gives to my preſent purpoſe, ſince it clearly and evidently demonſtrates that the Heathen World did concur in the Teſtimony p. 30of a wicked Daemon; which, as Porphyry relates in the Cloſe of his Letter to Anebo, was vulgarly known by the name of the Deceiver.

But if we advance from the Ancient to the more Modern Philoſophers, we ſhall find, that, like the Sun, the higher this Doctrine of Evil Spirits aſcended, the fairer and clearer it gradually ſhew'd it ſelf; and that breaking in ſome meaſure through thoſe thick Miſts of Error, which had grievouſly over-run it ſince its firſt Riſing, it at length diffus'd again a true and genuine Light over the Minds of Men, notwithſtanding thoſe little Spots, which ſtill appear'd in its Face. PluPlutarch indeed, ſeems not over-willing to embrace it; yet he doubts he can give no good Account of thoſe Phantaſms or Apparitions which haunted the Excellent and Philoſophical Dion and Brutus, unleſs he receives,foreign, as **Prooem. ad Vit. Dion.he calls it, that very ancient Tradition, that there are certain impious and faſcinating Daemons, which envy good Men, and withſtand their Enterpriſes, by creating Fears and Troubles to them, that ſo they may hinder them in their purſuit of Vertue, leſt, by continuing ſtedfaſt and unblameable in Good, they ſhould after Death be made p. 31Partakers of greater Felicity than they enjoy. Not unlike to this, is the Deſcription which Jamblichus gives of them; ††De Myſt. Egypt. ſect. 2. cap. 6. & ſect. 4. cap. 13. Edit. Oxon.who critically decyphering the different Apparitions of the Gods, Archangels, Angels, and Daemons, expreſly aſſerts, foreign, That the good Daemons do not adminiſter to Mens Luſts, or prompt them to any Impiety; but that they are Evil Daemons, who inflict Diſeaſes upon their Bodies, and enſlave their Souls to Senſual Appetites, foreign, and depreſs and clip the Wings of them who generouſly aſpire to the bright-ſhining Regions of Immortality. Theſe he ‖‖Sect. 4. cap. 7.elſewhere extravagantly calls foreign, Daemons eſſentially wicked, who yet take upon them to be good and of a truly Divine Nature, and do therefore command their Worſhippers to be juſt and holy, whilſt in truth they have no care of Holineſs and Vertue, but do ſtudiouſly contrive the Ruin of Mankind. And in many other places of that admirable Book De Myſteriis Aegyptiorum, he excellently deſcribes the malignant Temper of theſe Evil Spirits; ſo that tho' in the main he cloſely adheres to the Egyptian Theology, yet here he exactly p. 32treads in the Steps of his Maſter Porphyry, **Epiſt. ad Anabon. & de Abſtin. l. 2. p. 199.who tells us, That there are a ſort of Spirits foreign of a deceitful Nature, who turn themſelves into all Forms and Shapes, (the very Deſcription, that is given of them in Sacred Writ) foreign, and taking upon themſelves the Perſons of good Daemons, craftily inſinuate into their unwary Worſhippers, that they are the Cauſes of all Good as well as of Evil, whereas indeed they aſſiſt Men in nothing that is really Good; but do only cheat, delude, and impoſe upon them, whilſt they feaſt their Noſtrils with the Fumes of the Altar, and make it their buſineſs to throw Rubbs in their ways who walk in the Paths of Vertue. Proclus delivers the very ſame Doctrine: foreign, ſays he, foreign. Some, I know, would have theſe Earthly Daemons to be only good Spirits of an inferiour Order, who conſtantly attended the Superiour Deities; but if we conſider that they took upon them theſe falſe Titles, and perſonated their Superiours only that they might the better delude their Worſhippers, we muſt needs confeſs them to be of the other ſort; eſpecially ſince the p. 33Philoſopher **In A'cibiadem.elſewhere fully explains himſelf, and in a whole Chapter abundantly lays open the Malignity of theſe Spirits, almoſt in the ſame Words, as thoſe Chriſtian Writers ††Apol. c. 22.Tertullian ‖‖In Octavio.Minut. Felix, and ****De Idolorum Vanitate.St. Cyprian have done. In ſhort, ††††De Abſt. l. 2. & apud Iambl. de Myſt. Egypt. ſect. 1. c. 18.Porphyry diſtinguiſheth the Daemons, which the Graecians worſhipped, into Good and Bad; the Former they call'd foreign; the Latter, foreign. And as though he had a mind to ſubvert the very Foundations of Ethnick Theology he no leſs dogmatically than truly aſſerts, foreign. Put foreign in the Singular Number, and he ſays with St. Paul, That what the Heathens thus ſacrific'd, they ſacrific'd to Devils, and not to God. From all which put together, it evidently appears, That the thinking Sages of the Heathen World had a clear and diſtinct Idea of the Malignity of ſome Evil Spirits; which we Chriſtians know to be Apoſtate or Fallen Angels.

2. Theſe wicked and malignant Daemons are permitted to wander up and down in the Earth. Minut. Felix tells us of Hoſthanes, whom he calls the Firſt of the Magi, that he deliver'd a tradition of ſome malignant p. 34Daemons, which wander to and fro in the Earth, and are Enemies to Mankind; and both the Jews, with moſt of the **Vide eruditiſſimum illum virum Joſephum Mede l. 1. ſerm. 4.Fathers of the four firſt Centuries, and alſo the Pythagoreans and Platoniſts, and other Sects, have carried the Notion yet higher, affirming that not only the whole Circumference of this Lower World, but that likewiſe the ſeveral Regions of the Air, and all that Space above the Globe of the Earth to the Face of Heaven, is full of Daemons or Evil Spirits, who ſerve under their foreign or Prince, and are commiſſion'd and ſent out by him to inveigle undiſcerning Mortals into Ruin and Deſtruction. Thus the great **Sect. 4. cap. 13.Patron of the Egyptian Myſteries does not heſitate to aſſert, foreign, that without all Controverſie theſe Spirits have a vaſt and almoſt unlimited Power over the Affairs of Men, and in the Government of this World; and therefore ††Sect. 2. cap. 3, 7.he indifferently calls them foreign, Governours, Rulers of this World, who manage all Sublunary things as they pleaſe. And indeed, he ſeems here to ſtretch himſelf much beyond his Meaſure, and not to ſpeak like an undiſciplin'd, unilluminated Philoſopher. For the Saviour of the World himſelf, who beſt knew what Power he had given to this p. 35Enemy of Mankind, **Joh. 12.31.John 12:31ſtiles him foreign, the Prince of this World; and the great Apoſtle of the Gentiles advanceth yet farther, expreſly ††2 Cor. 4.4.2 Cor 4:4calling him, the God of this World: both which mighty Denominations ſufficiently indicate, that the Devil is more than a petty Prince in this World. Nay in the ſixth Chapter of the Epiſtle to the Epheſians, he delivers himſelf in ſuch terms as ſeem to betray the Reading of the forecited Philoſopher: Put on, ſays he, the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to repell all the Temptations and Stratagems, and to hold out againſt all the Aſſaults of your Adverſaries; for your Danger is great, and your Enemies powerful; you wreſtle not againſt Fleſh and Blood, i. e. againſt any ordinary Human Enemies, but againſt the ſeveral Ranks of Devils, foreign, againſt Principalities, againſt Powers, foreign, againſt the Rulers of the Darkneſs of this World, againſt ſpiritual Wickedneſs, or (as the ‖‖Grotium videas, & Hammondum.Syriack reads) wicked Spirits in high places. Here, as the Reverend and Learned Dr. Hammond obſerves, Wicked Spirits in high places are diſtinguiſh'd from the Rulers of the Darkneſs of this World; noting thereby ſeveral ſorts of Devils, either p. 36in reſpect of their Manſions, foreign, aerial or earthly Spirits; or elſe of the Inclinations which they ſuggeſt. The Earthly Devils ſuggeſting groſſer, carnal Appetites, the Filthineſs of the Fleſh; the Aerial, Pride, Vain-glory, Malice, and ſuch like, the Filthineſs of the Spirit.

But from the Conſideration of the deſtructive and implacable Temper of theſe Spirits of Darkneſs, the truly Philoſophical and moſt Thinking Pagans (follow'd herein by ſome eminent and ancient **Vide Hermae Paſtorem, lib 2. mandat 6. Edit. Ox.Chriſtians) have been induc'd to believe, that every individual Perſon is not only the common Scope of their Envy and Malice; but that (as the Poet ſings) Quiſque ſuos patitur manes, every Man has likewiſe his peculiar Evil Angel, which conſtantly attends him, curiouſly obſerving his Faults, and endeavouring by all Arts and Stratagems to ruine and deſtroy him. Thus every Pythagorean had two Genii, a Good one and a bad one, the latter of which, Olympiodorus calls foreign, that Daemon which hales the Soul to Judgment, and which, he ſays, follows her into this World againſt her Will; whereas ſhe chooſeth her Good Genius to be her Leader and Guardian, and, as Plato ſpeaks, foreign, an Accompliſher of all p. 37her Deſires. Mahomet has adopted the ſame Doctrine into his Religion; telling us withal, That they ſit on Mens Shoulders with Table-Books in their Hands, and that the one writes down all the Good, the other all the Evil a Man does.

But whatever we think of this, certain it is, That the Evil Spirits are not only permitted ſometimes to tempt Men to bring Miſchief upon themſelves, but that many of the Diſaſters and Calamities which are brought upon the World, may alſo be attributed to the ſame pernicious Agents, Jamblicus was very ſenſible of this; and therefore he **Sect. 2. c. 7.calls them foreign, puniſhing or revenging Daemons; and for the ſame Reaſon the ††Gallaeum conſulas ad calcem Orac. Sibyll.Chaldaick Oracles ſtile them foreign, Earthly Dogs and Executioners of Mankind. ‖‖De Abſt. l. 2 pag. 198, 202.Porphyry is of the ſame Opinion; aſcribing the Miſeries of Humane Life, ſuch as Plagues, Famines, Sterilities, Earthquakes, Droughts, to no other Cauſe than the Malice of theſe Daemons: and he is follow'd herein by Bodinus, who attributes not only all prodigious Thunders, Storms, and Tempeſts, but even your moſt ordinary Winds to Good or Bad Angels. Now tho' I can by no means ſubſcribe to him in this Latitude, yet 'tis ſufficiently p. 38evident from the Hiſtory of Job, that as to the former Opinion, both he and the other Philoſophers are much in the right. For **Cap. 1.there we find him both conſuming the Good Man's Sheep and Servants with Lightning, and alſo by a great and violent Wind from the Wilderneſs, overturning the Houſe upon his Sons and Daughters:††Pſal. 78.49.Ps 78:49 Nay, the Royal Pſalmiſt puts the Caſe beyond all reaſonable Doubt; aſſuring us, That the dreadful and tragical Scene of multiply'd Signs and Wonders in the Land of Egypt was acted by the Miniſtry of Evil Spirits. He caſt upon them, ſays he, the Fierceneſs of his Anger, Wrath, and Indignation, and Trouble, foreign, by ſending Evil Angels among them: And the Apoſtle ſeems to aſſert no leſs, when he ‖‖Eph. 2.2.Eph 2:2calls the Devil the Prince of the Power of the Air.

But as 'tis certain, that the Devil is permitted ſometimes actually to tempt Men, ſometimes to amaze them only by the horrible Fragors of Storms and Tempeſts; ſo likewiſe 'tis evident, that he is a Perſon capable of a delegate Employment in ſome great Mutation of States: and many Probabilities have been obſerv'd by wiſe Perſonages, ſays the Excellent Biſhop ††††Great Exemplar, pag. 100.Taylor, perſwading that the Grandeur of the Roman p. 39Empire was in the Degrees of Increment and Decrement permitted to the Power and Managing of the Devil; that the Greatneſs of that Government, being in all Appearance full of Advantage to Satan's Kingdom, and employ'd for the Diſimprovement of the weak Beginnings and improbable Increaſe of Chriſtianity, might give Luſtre and Demonſtration to it, that it came from God; ſince the great Permiſſions of Power made to the Devil, and acted with all Art and Malice in Defiance of the Religion, could produce no other effect upon it, but that it made it grow greater; and the Greatneſs was made more miraculous, ſince the Devil, when his Chain was off, fain would, but could not ſuppreſs it.

But perhaps it may be here objected, That tho' we muſt confeſs, that before the Myſterious Incarnation of the Son of God the Devil had ſuch vaſt Dominions in the World, that he ſeem'd actually to have poſſeſs'd what God promis'd to his Son, even the Heathen for his Inheritance, and the uttermoſt Parts of the Earth for his Poſſeſſion; yet, ſince the Triumphant Aſcenſion of our Bleſſed Saviour, we cannot ſuppoſe, without Contradiction to Sacred Writ, that he now retains any at all, ſince both p. 40**Joh. 12.31.John 12:31Chriſt himſelf aſſures us, that he hath caſt him out, and St. ††Pet. 2.4.Peter expreſly declares, that they are caſt down to Hell, and deliver'd into Chains of Darkneſs to be reſerv'd unto Judgment. To this we anſwer,

Thoſe bright Sons of the Morning, which grew vertiginous through the Sublimity of Happineſs, and are moſt deſervedly charg'd with Folly for leaving their own Habitations, are indeed bound over to Eternal Pains, and lie at preſent in a dark, miſerable and wretched Condition. Where-ever they be, they carry Hell in their Breaſts, and read in their Conſciences the large Characters of Divine Vengeance, conſigning them over to Everlaſting Woe and Miſery. But Yet we muſt needs acknowledge, that 'tis abundantly evident, both from **Mat. 8.20. Mat 5.7. Luk. 8.31.Matt 8:20Matt 5:7Luke 8:31Scripture and Reaſon, That their preſent Puniſhment, how dolorous and bitter ſoever, will be much heightned and increas'd after the Great Day of Accounts; ſo that tho' I will not deny, but that (as the School-men and other Divines of Latter …i…es would have it) many of theſe infernal Bands may be ſo cloſely committed to Priſon, that they are never permitted to make Excurſions into the Earth; yet, on the other ſide, we may dare to affirm, that the All-wiſe God does often ſuffer great p. 41Troops and vaſt Multitudes of them to come abroad into this World, either for the Trial of the Good, or for the Puniſhment of the Bad, or to be to us what the Remnant of the curſed Nations was, to the ſinful Iſraelites, even Pricks in our Eyes, and Thorns in our Sides. And, if we impartially conſider, neither this Text of St. Peter, nor the parallel one of St. Jude, do any thing evacuate or enervate this Aſſertion. For if they muſt needs be underſtood to prove ſuch an actual condemning of the Devil to Chains at preſent, that he ſhall not come forth till hal'd to Judgment; if I ſay, the Sence of the Words muſt needs be this, we cannot allow them by any means to be true. For even when theſe Epiſtles where written, (which is ſuppos'd to have been a little before the Deſtruction of the Jews, his Dominions were large, and his Empire extenſive. He did not only work powerfully in the Children of Diſobedience, who were taken Captive by him at his Will, but had alſo began to Lord it over God's own Heritage. He was daily ſowing Tares among the Wheat, and endeavouring to choak the good Seed, and to render it fruitleſs. Like an hungry Lion, he roar'd after the Prey, and began to glut his Jaws with the Blood of the ſlain; and p. 42upon this account, the Apoſtle, in my Text, warns the Chriſtians to watch, and to be always upon their Guard againſt ſo potent and vigilant an Adverſary. Though therefore the victorious Saviour of the World hath utterly diveſted theſe Evil Spirits of their Power, and made his Conqueſts over them publickly diſcernible to all Men, by throwing them out of their Temples, gagging and ſilencing them in their Oracles, and ſo dragging, as it were, Principalities and all the Powers of Darkneſs ſhackled and unarm'd at the Wheels of his triumphant Chariot. Though, I ſay, ſince the towring Roman Eagle, which for many Ages had ſpread its all-conquering Wings over the trembling World, ſubmitted her ſelf, and gave place to the humble Sign of the Croſs, the Sound of the Goſpel is gone out into all Lands, and its Words unto the Ends of the World; ſo that the Kingdoms of the World are become the Kingdoms of the Lord, and almoſt all Nations do him Service; yet, Certain it is, that the Devil is not yet totally baniſhed out of this World: For in the 23d Chap. of the Revelations and the 3d Ver. we have an account of a cloſer Impriſonment of Satan, and ſo of his Regiments of Evil Spirits, that ſhall be before the Worlds End, than is yet for p. 43sthe preſent; and 'tis alſo manifeſt from the **Sozom. Hiſt. l. 5. c. 19. p. 627.Hiſtory of Primitive Times, that after the Death, Reſurrection, and Aſcenſion of Chriſt, he was ſtill permitted to be in the World. For even in the Times of Julian the Apoſtate, we find his Oracle yet ſtanding; and 'twas the conſtant Cuſtom of the Church, in the firſt Ages, to excommunicate, or, as S. Paul phraſeth it, to deliver enormous and incorrigible Sinners to Satan, as to a Lictor or Executioner, who was wont to ſift and ſhake them terribly, and by inflicting Diſeaſes and Torments upon the Body, forc'd them to fly for Refuge to the Arms of their offended Father. Now therefore, we muſt indeed acknowledge with the ††Rev. 12.9, 10,Rev 12:9Rev 12:10Inhabitants of Heaven, that Salvation and Strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the Power of his Chriſt, is come unto us; for the great Dragon is caſt out, that old Serpent, call'd the Devil, and Satan, which deceiv'd the whole World: He is caſt out of his Strong-holds, and his Angels can no longer exerciſe their Tyranny in the Earth: But yet he ſtill ſitteth lurking in the thieviſh Corners of the World, and privily in his lurking Dens does he plot againſt the Innocent; his Eyes are wholly ſet againſt the Saints. Though his Hands are tied, and p. 44he is bound to his Good-behaviour; yet, as an Explorator or Searcher for faults, he goes up and down to and fro in the Earth.

I know there are ſome, who will be ready to object, That this Relaxation of Evil-Spirits from their dark houſes of Sorrow, can by no means conſiſt with the Wiſdom of God; For ſince his Juſtice condemn'd them to unſpeakable and Eternal Torments, 'tis next to Madneſs (ſay they) to ſuppoſe, that he would ſuffer their Pains to receive any Diminution; which yet the Hurt which according to this Poſition they are ſometimes permitted to do to Mankind, would certainly afford them.

But this ſeeming Contradiction will be eaſily reconcil'd, if we conſider, that the like Argument may be urg'd as well againſt the Abſence of good Angels from the Court of Heaven. For ſince 'tis piouſly believ'd on all hands, that the Bleſs'd Inhabitants of thoſe ſerene and peaceful Manſions are now (the time of Probation being gone long ago) fully and unalterably confirm'd in Happineſs and Glory; how can we imagine, that their heavenly Father would be ſo unkind, as to deprive them of the Beatifick Intuition of his interiour Beauties, and, as it were, to baniſh his beloved Sons for a time from the Regions of Bliſs? And yet p. 45we need not be beholden neither to the Egyptians nor to the Platoniſts for the Confirmation of this Truth; the Sacred Hiſtory, more than once, aſſuring us, if they do not conſtantly adhere to, and inſeparably accompany Good Men, yet that they often deſcended to ſuccour them in their Dangers, and are alſo ſtill foreign, Miniſtring Spirits, ſent forth to miniſter to them, who ſhall be heirs of Salvation.

Wherefore, in Anſwer to this Objection, we may conſider, That Kindneſs and Compaſſion are ſo twiſted and interwoven (as I may ſo ſay) with the very Eſſences of theſe glorious Creatures, that 'tis Heaven to them to relieve and aſſiſt their Fellow-Servants here below; which being joyn'd to that infinite Delight and Satisfaction, which they undoubtedly receive in the Execution of the Divine Will, makes abundant Recompence for the ſeeming Loſs of that more plentiful Harveſt of Joys which the Bleſſed reap in the Manſions above.

And on the other ſide: The Evagation of Evil Spirits from their infernal Dungeon, muſt rather afford them freſh Occaſions of Torture, than adminiſter any true Solace or real Content. For ſo fierce and implacable, ſo inſolent and outrageous, ſo envious and p. 46Eternally malicious, are theſe Sons of Perdition, that it muſt needs be Death to them to be fruſtrated in their Deſigns, and worſe (if poſſible) than Hell it ſelf, to ſee their Plots and Machinations all defeated and unravell'd. How then muſt they fret and tear their Bowels for Grief, to find their weak Attempts trampled on in great Diſdain and Triumph by the Regenerate Sons of Adam, who dwell ſecurely under the Defence of the Moſt High, and abide continually under the Shadow of the Almighty? To ſee themſelves ſunk into ſo low and deſpicable a condition, that they are as light and contemptible as the Duſt before the Wind, whilſt the Angels of the Lord perſecute and Scatter them? How muſt they be cloath'd with Shame, and Diſhoour and Confuſion of Face, to ſee thoſe little Miſts they endeavour'd to raiſe, utterly diſpers'd and vaniſh'd, and the Glory of the Lord ſhining round about the World, and appearing out of Sion in perfect Beauty? But not to proſecute theſe Conſiderations any farther: The bare diſmal Apprehenſions of that accumulated Puniſhment, which after the Laſt Day they muſt certainly undergo for all the Evil they have done amongſt Men, are ſufficient to counterpoiſe whatever accidentary Satisfaction p. 47they ſeem to receive upon the Earth.

I foreſee but one Scruple more, that may ariſe againſt this Diſcourſe; which is, That ſuppoſing Men were very well diſpos'd to believe all we have ſaid, yet thoſe Antick, ridiculous Circumſtances, which in the Narrations even of the graveſt Perſonages do accompany many things of this nature, ſtrongly argue the Uncertainty of them all.

But, to this 'twill be ſufficient to anſwer, with the Learned and Judicious Dr. **Appendix to the Antidote againſt Atheiſm, c. 12. par. 3.More, That the Converſation of Evil Spirits amongſt us in this World ought to ſeem never the more incredible for thoſe ludicrous Paſſages. For 'tis not at all diſconſonant to Reaſon, that ſuch Daemons, which have their Haunts near this lower Air and Earth, are variouſly ††Hanc, opinor, ob cauſam audiunt apud S. Lucam c. 4. v. 33. foreign & paſſim apud Ethnicos penates, Lares, Lamiae, Empuſae, Fauni, Satyri, Lemures, &c.laps'd into the enormous Love and Liking of the Animal Life, having utterly forſaken the Divine; and that therefore there are ſuch Paſſions and Affections in them, as are in Wicked Men and Beaſts; and that ſome of them eſpecially bear the ſame Analogy to an Unfallen Angel, that an Ape or Monkey does to a Sober Man; ſo that all their Pleaſure is in unlucky ridiculous Tricks. This (I am ſure) is fully and clearly atteſted by **De Abſt. lib. 2.Porphyry, p. 48††Orig. cont. Celſ. l. 8. p. 417. & l. 7. p. 334.Celſus, Origen, St. Baſil (or whoever elſe was the Author of that Commentary upon Iſaiah) and others. Wherefore,

3. I come to ſhew with what indefatigable Pains, and various Stratagems, they ſeek to Ruin Men, and with what Cruelty they treat them when they are delivered up into their hands. This ſublunary Region indeed, which Man inhabits, is nothing elſe but a continued Scene of Changes and Revolutions. All things in this natural World are ſubject to Ebbs and Flows, and nothing is found in it that acts either uniformly or conſtantly. But the Devil's Malice is of another Conſtitution; it ſuffers no Intermiſſions, no Viciſſitudes, but (like that ſtock of Motion which that great Mechanical Wit Deſcartes ſuppoſeth the Univerſe at firſt endow'd with) it continues always in the ſame proportion, and is never intended or remitted. For tho' he may act more fiercely at one time than at another, yet certainly he purſues his Revenge in general with the ſame Earneſtneſs and Vigour, and always wills our Ruine in the ſame meaſure of Volition. Hence it comes to paſs, that having once gain'd Permiſſion to begin his Aſſault, he, like Fire, has no Power to ſuſpend his Act, but is as entirely determin'd by the Fullneſs of his Malice, p. 49as a Natural Agent by the Appetites of Nature. Thus, as though it had been a ſmall thing to have caus'd infinite Numbers of the Heavenly Hoſt to let fall their Crowns, and to have ſwept away with his Tail the third part of the Stars of Heaven, we find him in the way Infancy of the World, nay (if ſome ſay true) in the ſame Day wherein Man was Created, plotting and nontriving to ruin all Mankind in their Head. And tho' 'tis believ'd, for very good Reaſons, that he could not, with all his Art and Subtilty, entice ſo much as the Impure and Debauch'd Poſterity of Cain to Idolatry before the Flood; yet we are too well aſſur'd, that he laid the Foundations of his Empire very early in the World. For Hiſtorians ſay, that even in the time of Heber, who was the fifth from Noah, Idolatry began mightily to prevail; theſe Helliſh Impoſtors giving Anſwers through the Images, which Men generally carv'd to themſelves in Memory of their Anceſtors, and to which, upon all Occaſions, they addreſs'd themſelves with the moſt ſolemn Veneration. And from thence, how imperious and domineering, how haughty, arrogant, and cruel, how tyrannical and intolerable, he ſhew'd himſelf to his Worſhippers, till Chriſtianity appear'd in the p. 50World, all Hiſtories, both Sacred and Profane, do abundantly teſtifie. Having exalted himſelf above all that is called God, and (the Jews excepted) rendred the whole Creation ſubject to Vanity, he ſat himſelf Lordly in the Houſe of God, acting there like himſelf, the grand Chief of the Damn'd. He ſent Miſeries and Calamities upon the Theatre of the World for his Sport and Paſtime, and ſet on one part of the Creation to bait another for his Diverſion. Like the immane Roman Emperours, he took Pleaſure to exerciſe Men with Dangers, and to ſee them play bloody Prizes before him. Neither thouſands of Rams, nor ten thouſands of Rivers of Oyl, could ſatisfie the raging Thirſt or Boulimy of this ravenous Wolf. He muſt needs tear in pieces the more excellent Prey, and take his Paſtime in Rivers of Human Blood. Thus in Crete and Africk under the Name of Saturn he glutted his Ears with the laſt Groans and diſmal Accents, and his devouring Jaws with the tender Carcaſſes of ſlaughter'd Infants. Thus in Cyprus, Tenedos, and Lacedaemonia; in Carthage, France, and Germany; in Arabia, Scythia, Egypt, and Rome it ſelf, he made himſelf drunk with the Blood of Men; which is atteſted not only by thoſe Chriſtian Writers p. 51**Apol. c. 9.Tertullian and ††Divin. Inſtitut. l. 1. c. 21.Lactantius, but likewiſe by that acute Philoſopher and Enemy to Chriſtianity ‖‖De Abſt. l. 2. p. 226.Porphyry; who, after he had reckon'd up in how many places of the World Human Sacrifices were in uſe, confeſſes 'twas done at Rome in the Feaſt of Jupiter Latialis even in his time. Nay, as tho' the Air had been corrupted, and Men by natural Breathing drew in the Infection, this Contagion ſpread it ſelf as far as the Houſe of God, and the Holy Land it ſelf was defil'd with Blood. Not only Aliens and Strangers to the Commonwealth of Iſrael, but even God's own peculiar People, was ſo bewitch'd and beſotted, as both to adore the Sun, when it ſhin'd, and the Moon when ſhe walk'd in her brightneſs, (which it ſelf was an Iniquity to be puniſh'd by the Judge) and alſo to inflame themſelves with Idols under every green Tree, and to offer their Sons and their Daughters unto Devils. Thus tho' his ambitious Deſigns were balk'd in the Beginning, and he fell with all his Legions, like Lightning, from Heaven; tho' he could not be like the Moſt High in Glory, nor erect his Throne next to the Almighty; yet he vaunted himſelf here amongſt the deluded Sons of Men, and by his Villainies, Sophiſtries, and Arts p. 52of Terror, affrighted them into the Worſhip and Adoration of his Perſon. Yet even then (ſo great is the Pride, and Unbounded the Malice of this curſed Arch-Daemon) as though Crowns and Septers, and all the Tributary Princes and Potentates of the Earth had been too little; as though the Glory of ſo much Power, and the infinite multitude of Slaves and Vaſſals avail'd him nothing at all, whilſt good Mordecai bowed not, nor did him Reverence, he was reſtleſs and diſſatisfied, and with haughty Haman impatiently ſought his Ruin. He repin'd at thoſe peaceable, Halcyonian Days which under the kind influence of Heaven pious Souls did enjoy, and whom Providence hedg'd in he chiefly long'd to devour. This is fully illuſtrated in the Inſtance of Job, where, as ſoon as God had permitted to put forth his hand, and touch all that he had, how did he muſter up all the Miſchiefs Helliſh Malice could invent, and with greater Eagerneſs than that of an Eagle or Vulture, ſeize upon the Prey? He plunder'd him in his Eſtate (ſays the Reverend and Learned Dr. **Patriarchal Diſpenſation.Cave) by the Sabaean and Chaldaean Free-booters, who left him not an Ox or Aſs of all his Herd, not a Sheep or a Lamb either for Food or Sacrifice. He endeavour'd p. 53all he could to blot out his Name from under Heaven, having ſlain his ſeven Sons and three Daughters at once by the Fall of an Houſe. He blaſted him in his Credit and Reputation, and that by his neareſt Friends, who had traduc'd and challeng'd him for a Diſſembler and an Hypocrite. He ruin'd him in his Health, having ſmitten him with ſore Ulcers from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot, till his Body became a very Hoſpital of Diſeaſes. Nay, that not the leaſt Dawnings of Conſolation might peep through this black Cloud of Sorrow and Anguiſh, beſides thoſe gaſtly Spectacles and horrid Apparitions whereby he infeſted his **Cap. 7. ver. 14.Dreams, he ſuggeſted to his ††Cap. 6. ver. 4.waking Thoughts ſad and uncomfortable Reflexions; the Arrows of the Almighty being ſhot within him, the Poyſon whereof drank up his Spirits, the Terrors of God ſetting themſelves in Array againſt him. And thus, for at leaſt twelve Months, ſay the Jews, probably for a much longer time, did this grand Engineer of all Miſchief wreek his Helliſh Malice upon this Good Man, till God in Mercy put a Period to this tedious Tryal, and crown'd his Sufferings with an ample Reſtitution.

p. 54But if we aſcend from theſe Times to the firſt Plantings of the Goſpel, we ſhall find him yet more eagerly proſecuting all Acts of Hoſtility; poſſeſſing Mens Bodies, tormenting them with ſundry kinds of Diſeaſes, and endeavouring, if poſſible, to break the very Golden Chain of Predeſtination. Now that dreadful Woe, which the **Rev. 12.10, 12.Rev 12:10Rev 12:12Angel with a loud Voice denounc'd from Heaven againſt the Inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea, was fulfill'd: for the Devil was come amongſt Men having great Wrath, becauſe he had but a ſhort time. He ſaw the Prophecies were all fulfill'd; that the Scepter was departed from Judah, and a Law-giver from between his Feet; that therefore Shiloh was ſuddenly to come, unto whom the gathering of all People ſhould be. He ſaw, that his Coming was now grown, not only the Expectation of the Jews; but the common diſcourſe too of all the Heathen Nations. That there was foreign, as St. Cyril ſays of him, a great and eminent Harbinger, who in the Power and Spirit of Elias introduc'd and uſher'd in the Arrival of this Son of Righteouſneſs, and ſpake great and glorious things of this Son of God. Wherefore, not to mention his perſecuting him, a poor helpleſs Infant p. 55by jealous Herod, nor yet to re-mind you of thoſe many Troubles, which he afterwards created him from the hypocritical, ambitious, blood-thirſty Phariſees; that he might leave no ſtone unturn'd, nothing unattempted, whereby he might compaſs his Deſigns, he impudently attacks the Redeemer of the World himſelf, and perceiving him to be a Perſon of greater Sanctity and Perfection, than to be mov'd by ſenſual and low Deſires, he thought Ambition might be moſt likely to Ruine him, ſince 'twas that, which prevail'd ſo powerfully upon himſelf; and accordingly the Dominions of the World are offer'd to the Soveraign Diſpoſer of them, and the Heir of all the Kingdoms of the Earth is tempted to accept of his own, at the expence of falling down, and worſhipping the Devil. Which brings me to the other part of this my Third Particular, which is, to obſerve, what various Ways and Methods this cunning Serpent takes to intrap us.

When the Devil intends a Battery, he views the Strength and Situation of the Place; and where he eſpies the weakeſt Guards, there he moſt vigorouſly makes his Onſet. True it is, that in our Saviour he could have no ſuch Advantage; but how Fatal it has prov'd to his Spouſe, the Church, no Man, that p. 56juſtly glories in the Title of a Chriſtian, can be ignorant. He ſtirr'd up Kings and Princes, and the greateſt Powers and Policies of the World, to confederate and combine together to extirpate and baniſh it from off the Face of the Earth. By Arms and Armies, by Strength and Subtilty, by Malice and Cruelty, he endeavour'd to ſtifle and ſmother it in its Infancy and firſt Delivery into the World. But when he found, that, notwithſtanding all this Oppoſition, it ſtill lifted up its Head in triumph, and outbrav'd the fierceſt Storms of the moſt violent Perſecutions; that neither Swords, nor Axes, nor Croſſes, nor wild Beaſts, nor Chains, nor Fire, nor all other Inſtruments of the moſt exquiſite Tortures could prevail any thing at all; but that, as he complainingly tells Porphyry, they might as well, and to better purpoſe, attempt to write upon the Surface of the Water, or to fly like a Bird in the Air, than to reduce the Chriſtian from his Sentiments, and compel him to blaſpheme, he immediately betakes himſelf to other Counſels, and ſeeks to undermine that Faith, which he ſaw he could not carry by open Aſſault and Battery. And how ſucceſsfully he thus work'd in God's Vineyard, the many Hereſies, which grew up together p. 57with the Goſpel, do ſufficiently demonſtrate.

But to paſs from Univerſals to Particulars, from Communities of Men to Individuals: Let us through all the intermediate Ages retreat to the Origin of the World, and we ſhall find him even then giving a full and convictive Evidence of that Craft and Subtilty which he exercis'd more at large in Succeeding Generations. He beheld our firſt Father entertaining his Wife with the fondeſt Careſſes of too amorous a Fancy; and therefore by the Mediation of ſo dear an Object he preſents the Temptation. He knew that his Arguments were not convincing of themſelves, and therefore the beauteous hands of the young Virgin-Miſtreſs are made the Orators. Thus afterwards in the ears of envious Saul he Sounded the glorious Panegyricks of his Rival, and ſuggeſted to his remiſs and unguarded Succeſſor the ſofter Whiſpers of the Spirit of Fornication. Before young Beginners in Religion he diſplays a frightful Scene of enſuing Difficulties; that 'tis a ſolitary, loneſome, melancholy Profeſſion, under whoſe baleful Influence nothing but Roots of Bitterneſs, can ſpring up. He inſinuates into their Heads, that God is a conſuming Fire to all alike; that he is buſied in p. 58Heaven, not only to deſtroy the Wicked, and to daſh in pieces Veſſels of Diſhonour, but likewiſe to break the bruiſed Reed, and to caſt ſmoaking Flax into the Flames of Hell. He ſuggeſts to them, that Chriſt is a hard Task Maſter; who tho' he very well knows, that our Foundation is in the Clay, yet unreaſonably obligeth us to the Work of Angels, and to the Performances of the moſt Exalted and Beatify'd Spirits: That though the Law is preſcrib'd to Perſons whoſe Varieties and different Conſtitutions cannot be regular or uniform, yet he allows no Latitude of Performance, but unmercifully binds us all to juſt Atoms and Points. And thus by opening his Mouth in Blaſphemy againſt God, and by pretending to ſpeak peaceably to Men; by deterring them either with the pretended Difficulties of Religion, or by blowing up their new-kindled Zeal into Superſtition; in ſhort, by all the Arts, which either his Helliſh Malice or Policy can invent he labours to ruin the Children of Men; ſo that if the over-ruling hand of Providence had not put a Hook into the Noſtrils of this Leviathan, the Foundations of the Intellectual, as well as of the Natural World, had long ſince been out of courſe. Which brings me to my Fourth and Laſt Particular, which is, p. 59to ſhew, tho' he has Malice enough to deſtroy us all, yet that he cannot do us the leaſt Miſchief, unleſs God permits him.

4. 'Tis the Opinion, I confeſs, of the Learned Part of the World, that the Strength and Natural Faculties of this Prince of Darkneſs are nothing diminiſh'd or impair'd by his Fall; but, that he ſtill glories in the ſame Power, which ſwell'd him with ſo much Pride, as to ſay in his Heart, I will aſcend into Heaven; I will exalt my Throne above the Stars of God; I will ſit upon the ſides of the North; I will aſcend above the Heights of the Clouds; I will be like the Moſt High. Yet this ought not to diſcourage the weakeſt of us; for let his Strength be what it will, and his Malice ſo great, that (as the Queen of Sheba ſaid of Solomon's Wiſdom and Proſperity) the half of it has not been told us; yet we are ſure that he has his Bounds and Limits preſcrib'd him; and that as Jamblichus comfortably remarks, foreign, there is one God, who over-rules all the Legions of malignant Daemons. For this we have the Confeſſion of the Devil himſelf:

foreign,Haec, aliaque hujuſmodi oracula referuntur à Porphyrio, Proclo, Ethniciſque aliis; nonnulla etiam à Lactantio. Videas item Gallaeum, qui hoc oraculum habet ad calcem Sibyll. pag. 43.

foreign.

p. 60The Daemons, ſays he, which wander about the Earth, how unruly and ungovernable ſoever, are tam'd by the irreſiſtable Scourge of God's Rod. And how truly he ſpake, the Hiſtory of Job, and of the Herd of Swine make manifeſt and apparent: There we ſee they could not ſo much as enter the filthy Swine, till Chriſt had given them leave; nor touch a Hair of that good Man, till permitted from above; ſo that what that afflicted Saint ſays in another Caſe, is verify'd in this: That hitherto indeed he may come, but no farther, and here ſhall his proud Rage be ſtay'd.

From what has been thus diſcours'd I ſhall now briefly deduce two or three Corollaries, and conclude.

1. Then, Let us conſider, what End and Deſign God has in ſuffering theſe Enemies of Mankind to be abroad in the Earth; and ſince we ſhall find, that he leads us through this great and terrible Wilderneſs, wherein are fiery Serpents and Scorpions, that he may humble us, and that he may prove us, to do us Good at our Latter End, let us never fruſtrate ſuch gracious Purpoſes, nor provoke him by our Continuance in ſin to let us fall into the hands of theſe Enemies, who already diſtreſs us p. 61in our very Gates. The Arrows of the Lord are every where in the Earth, and ſhall not the Inhabitants of the World learn Righteouſneſs? If we have any real Love for our ſelves, any Concern for our true and main Intereſt, let us open our Ears to Diſcipline, and preſently return from all our Iniquities. For we ſhall not ſerve God for nought; He will make an hedge about us and about our Houſe, and about all that we have, on every ſide; His Hand ſhall hold us faſt, and his Arm ſhall ſtrengthen us, ſo that the Enemy ſhall not be able to do us violence, nor theſe wicked Spirits approach to hurt us. Not to hurt us therefore I ſay, becauſe tho' he permit them to caſt us into the Furnace of Affliction, yet he does it only to refine and purifie us from our Droſs. He may uſe them as ſharp and cutting Inſtruments, but then 'tis with this merciful Deſign of letting out our Corruption. In ſhort, However they may ſometimes ſeem to triumph over us in this World, yet certainly there will be an End, and our Expectations ſhall not be cut off. When Death ſhall draw back the Curtain, the Face of things ſhall be utterly chang'd. Then ſhall the Righteous Man ſtand in great boldneſs before the face of ſuch as afflicted p. 62him, and made no account of his Labours; and they ſhall ſay within themſelves: This is he whom we had ſometime in Deriſion and a Proverb of Reproach; we Fools endeavour'd to make his Life Madneſs, and to cauſe his End to be without Honour; but how, in ſpight of all our Malice, is he numbred among the Children of God; and whilſt we are condemned to Everlaſting Torments, His lot is among the Saints?

2. Since we are beſieg'd on every ſide by ſuch potent, ſubtil, and treacherous Enemies, let us take care to be always upon our Guard; and ſince our Journey is dangerous, and our Way ſlippery, let him that thinks he ſtands ſureſt, take continual heed leſt he fall. The latter Platoniſts indeed talk much of a Claſs of Beings, call'd foreign, Unites, Goodneſſes, Minds or Intellects, which they ſuppoſe to be as Eſſentially immutable as the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableneſs or ſhadow of turning; but we have not ſo learnt Chriſt. And tho' I cannot deny, but that as ſome Men, for a long, obſtinate uninterrupted abuſe of God's Grace, are at laſt juſtly given up to their own Hearts Luſts, and ſuffer'd with the utmoſt bent of their Souls to p. 63follow their own Imaginations; ſo the Analogy of Reaſon ſeems to require, that others, who in ſpight of all Oppoſition, have for a long time manfully reſiſted the Devil, and in the midſt of Temptations faithfully adher'd to the Commandments of God, ſhould at length be ſo firmly eſtabliſhed with his Free Spirit, that they ſhould never be mov'd, but become burning Lamps to give conſtant Light in the Temple of God: yet ſince no Man, no not the Choſen Veſſels and chiefeſt Favourites of Heaven, could ſcarce ever aſſure themſelves of ſo happy a State, but were perpetually forc'd foreign, to uſe Roughneſs to their Bodies, and to keep them in Subjection, leaſt after all, they ſhould become Caſt-aways; I think it highly concerns every one of us to keep our Souls diligently, to lift up the hands that hang down, and to ſtrengthen the feeble Knees, to hold faſt that which we have, that neither Man nor Devil deprive us of our Crown.

Laſtly, Let us look up to Heaven, and with Hearts full of Joy and Gratitude bleſs that God to whom alone we owe the Happineſs of all thoſe Hours and Days of Peace, in which we ſit ſecurely under our Vines, and eat the pleaſant Fruit of our Fig-trees, p. 64and ſee no Serpent winding his voluminous Trunk about the Branches, and preſenting us with fair Fruit to ruin us. 'Tis the Lord's doing, that we have the Quietneſs of a Minute, and it ought to be marvellous in our Eyes; for if he had not put a Bit into our Enemies Mouth, but ſhould ſuffer him cruelly to fall upon us, he would render us of all things in the World the moſt miſerable. Our Tables would become a Snare to us, our Beds a Torment, our Dreams fantaſtick, luſtful, and illuſive. Every Senſe ſhould have its Object of Delight and Danger, an Hyaena to kiſs, and to periſh in its Embraces. How ſtrongly then are we oblig'd to adore the Lord, by whom cometh Salvation, and to Love and Praiſe that God by whom we eſcape Death? Who out of the Abundance of his overflowing Goodneſs, miraculouſly reſcues us from the baſe and miſerable Slavery of theſe Evil Spirits into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God? O how plentiful, may we ſay with the Royal **Pſal. 31. ver. 21.Ps 31:21Pſalmiſt, is his Goodneſs, which he hath laid up for them that fear him; and that he hath prepar'd for them that put their Truſt in him, even before the Sons of Men! Tho' they walk in the dark and gloomy Valleys of the Shadow of Death, and are encompaſs'd by Enemies p. 65on every ſide, yet by his infinite Mercy and abundant Grace, he turns them from Darkneſs to Light, and from the Power of Satan unto the Living God.

Wherefore to him who is thus able to keep us from falling, and notwithſtanding all the malicious Attempts of our Ghoſtly Enemies, to preſent us faultleſs before the Preſence of his Glory with exceeding Joy; To the only wiſe God, Our Saviour, be Glory and Majeſty, Dominion and Power, now and ever. Amen.