Works of Joseph Hall, Part 39
The Dumbe Deuill eiected.
THat the Prince of our Peace might approue his perfect victories, whereſoeuer hee met with the Prince of darkneſſe hee foyled him, he eiected him; He found him in heauen, thence did hee throw him headlong, and verified his Prophet, I hauehave caſt thee out of mine holy mountaine; And if the Deuils left their firſt habitation, it was becauſe (being Deuills) they could not keepe it; Their eſtate indeed they might hauehave kept, and did not; their habitation they would hauehave kept, and might not; How art thou falne from heauen O Lucifer? He found him in the heart of man; (for in that cloſet of God did the euill ſpirit after his exile from heauen ſhrowd himſelfe; Sin gaue him poſſeſſion, which he kept with a willing violence) thence hee caſts him by his word, and ſpirit; He found him tyrannizing in the bodies of ſome poſſeſſed men, and with power commands the vncleane ſpirits to depart.
This act is for no hand but his: When a ſtrong man keepes poſſeſſion, none but a ſtronger can remoue it: In voluntary things the ſtrongeſt may yeeld to the weakeſt; Sampſon to a Dalilah; but in violent, euer the mightieſt caries it; A ſpirituall nature muſt needs be in ranke aboue a bodily; neither can any power be aboue a ſpirit, but the God of ſpirits.
No otherwiſe is it in the mentall poſſeſſion; Where euer ſinne is, there Satan is; As on the contrary, whoſoeuer is borne of God, the ſeed of God remaines in him; That euill one not onelyonly is, but rules in the ſonnes of diſobedience: in vaine ſhall wee try to eiect him, but by the diuine power of the Redeemer; For this cauſe the Sonne of God was manifeſted, that hee might deſtroy the workes of the Deuill; Doe we finde our ſelues haunted with the familiar Deuills of Pride, ſelfe-louelove, ſenſuall deſires, vnbeleefe? None but thou, O Son of the euerliuing God, can free our boſomes of theſe helliſh gueſts; Oh clenſe thou mee from my ſecret ſinnes, and keepe mee that preſumptuous ſinnes preuaile not ouer me. O Sauiour, it is no Paradox to ſay that thou caſteſt out more Deuils now, then thou diddeſt whiles thou wert vponupon earth; It was thy word, When I am lifted vp, I will draw all men vntounto me; Satan weighes downe at the feet, thou pulleſt at the head, yea at the heart; In eueryevery conuerſion which thou workeſt, there is a diſpoſſeſſion. Conuert mee, O Lord, and I ſhall be conuerted; I know thy meanes are now no other then ordinary; if we expect to be diſpoſſeſſed by miracle, it would be a miracle, if euer wee were diſpoſſeſſed; Oh let thy Goſpell hauehave the perfect worke in me, ſo onelyonly ſhall I bee deliuered from the powers of darkneſſe.
Nothing can be ſaid to be dumbe, but what naturally ſpeakes; nothing can ſpeake naturally, but what hath the inſtruments of ſpeech; which becauſe ſpirits want, they can no otherwiſe ſpeake vocally, then as they take voices to themſelues, in taking bodies; This deuill was not therefore dumbe in his nature, but in his effect; The man was dumbe by the operation of that deuill, which poſſeſſed him; and now the action is attributed to the ſpirit, which was ſubiectiuely in the man; It is not you that ſpeake, ſaith our Sauiour, but the ſpirit of your Father that ſpeaketh in you.
As it is in bodily diſeaſes, that they doe not infect vsus alike, ſome ſeize vponupon the humors, others vponupon the ſpirits; ſome aſſault the braine, others the heart, or lungs; ſo in bodily and ſpirituall poſſeſſions; In ſome the euill ſpirit takes away their ſenſes; in ſome their lims; in ſome, their inward faculties; like as ſpiritually they affect to moue vsus vntounto ſeuerall ſinnes; One to luſt, another to couetouſneſſe, or ambition, another to cruelty; and their names hauehave diſtinguiſhed them according to theſe various effects: This was a dumbe Deuill, which yet had poſſeſſed not the tongue onelyonly of this man, but his eare; not that onelyonly, but (as it ſeemes) his eies too.
O ſuttle and tyrannous ſpirit, that obſtructs all wayes to the ſoule: that keepes out all meanes of grace both from the doores, and windowes of the heart; yea that ſtops vp all paſſages whether of ingreſſe, or egreſſe; Of ingreſſe at the eye, or eare, of egreſſe at the mouth; that there might be no capacity of redreſſe.
What holy vſe is there of our tongue but to praiſe our Maker, to confeſſe our ſinnes, to informe our brethren? How rife is this Dumbe Deuill euerywhere, whiles hee ſtops the mouthes of Chriſtians from theſe vſefull and neceſſarie duties?
For what end hath man thoſe two priuiledges aboue his fellow creatures, Reaſon, and Speech, but, that, as by the one he may conceiue of the great workes of his Maker, which the reſt cannot, ſo by the other hee may expreſſe what hee conceiues to the honor of the Creator, both of them, and himſelfe▪ And why are all other creatures ſaid to praiſe God, and bidden to praiſe him, but becauſe they doe it by the apprehenſion, by the expreſſion of man? If the heauens declare the glory of God, how doe they it but to the eies, and by the tongue of that man, for whom they were made? It is no ſmall honor whereof the enuious ſpirit ſhall rob his Maker, if he … cloſe vp the mouth of his onelyonly rationall, and vocall creature, and turne the beſt of his workemanſhip into a dumbe Idoll, that hath a mouth and ſpeakes not, Lord open thou my lips and my mouth ſhall ſhew forth thy praiſe.
Praiſe is not more neceſſary then complaint; praiſe of God then complaint of ourſelues, whether to God or men; The onelyonly amends we can make to God what we hauehave not had the grace to auoid ſinne is to confeſſe the ſinne wee hauehave not auoided: This is the ſponge that wipes out all the blots and blurs of our liues; If wee confeſſe our ſinnes, he is faithfull and iuſt to forgiue vsus our ſins, and to cleanſe vsus from all vnrighteouſneſſe.
That cunning man-ſlayer knowes there is no way to purge the ſicke ſoule, but vpward by caſting out the vicious humor wherewith it is clogged, and therefore holds the lips cloſe, that the heart may not diſ-burden it ſelfe by ſo wholeſome euacuation. When I kept ſilence, my bones conſumed; For day and night thy band O Lord was heauy vponupon me; my moiſture is turned into the drought of Summer; O let me confeſſe againſt my ſelfe my wickedneſſe vntounto thee, that thou maiſt forgiue the puniſhment of my ſinne.
We hauehave a tongue for God, when wee praiſe him; for our ſelues, when wee pray, and confeſſe; for our brethren, when we ſpeake the truth for their information; which if we hold backe in vnrighteouſneſſe, we yeeld vntounto that dumbe Deuill: where doe we not ſee that accurſed ſpirit? Hee is on the Bench, when the mute, or partiall Iudge ſpeakes not for truth, and innocence: He is in the pulpit, when the Prophets of God ſmother, or halue, or adulterate the meſſage of their maſter; Hee is at the barre, when irreligious Iurors dare lend an oath to feare, to hope, to gaine: Hee is in the market, when godleſſe chapmen for their peny ſell the truth, and their ſoule; He is in the common conuerſation of men, when the tongue belies the heart, flatters the guilty, balketh reproofes euen in the fouleſt crimes: O thou, who only art ſtronger then that ſtrong one, caſt him out of the hearts, and mouthes of men; It is time for thee, Lord, to worke, for they hauehave deſtroyed thy Law.
That it might well appeare this impediment was not naturall; ſo ſoone as the man is freed from the ſpirit, his tongue is free to his ſpeech: The effects of ſpirits as they are wrought, ſo they ceaſe at once. If the Sonne of God doe but remoue our ſpirituall poſſeſſion, we ſhall preſently breake forth into the praiſe of God, into the confeſſion of our vileneſſe, into the profeſſion of truth.
But, what ſtrange variety do I ſee in the ſpectators of this miracle, ſome wondring, others cenſuring, a third ſort tempting, a fourth applauding; There was neuer man or action, but was ſubiect to variety of conſtructions: What man could bee ſo holy, as he that was God? What act could bee more worthy then the diſpoſſeſſion of an euill ſpirit? yet this man, this act paſſeth theſe differences of interpretation: What can we doe to vndergoe but one opinion? If we giuegive almes, and faſt; ſome will magnifie our charity, and deuotion, others will taxe our hypocriſie: If wee giuegive not, ſome will condemne our hard-heartedneſſe, others will allow our care of iuſtice; if wee preach plainly, to ſome it will ſauour of a careleſſe ſlubbering, to others of a mortified ſincerity; Elaborately, ſome will tax our affectation, others will applaud our diligence in dreſſing the delicate viands of God; What maruell is it, if it bee thus with our imperfection, when it fared not otherwiſe with him that was purity, and righteouſneſſe it ſelfe? The auſtere fore-runner of Chriſt came neither eating nor drinking, they ſay, He hath a Deuill; The ſonne of man came eating and drinking, they ſay, This man is a glutton, a friend of Publicans and ſinners: and here one of his holy acts caries away at once wonder, cenſure, doubt, celebration. There is no way ſafe for a man but to ſquare his actions by the right rule of iuſtice, of charitie; and then let the world hauehave leaue to ſpend their gloſſes at pleaſure. It was an heroicall reſolution of the choſen veſſell, I paſse very little to be iudged of you, or of mans day.
I maruell not if the people maruelled; for here were foure wonders in one; The blinde ſaw, the deafe heard, the dumbe ſpake, the demoniacke is deliuered; Wonder was due to ſo rare, and powerfull a worke, and, if not this, nothing; We can caſt away admiration vponupon the poore deuices, or actiuities of men, how much more vponupon the extraordinary workes of omnipotency? Who ſo knowes the frame of Heauen and earth, ſhall not much be affected with the imperfect effects of fraile humanity; but ſhall with no leſſe rauiſhment of ſoule acknowledge the miraculous workes of the ſame Almighty hand. Neither is the ſpirituall eiection worthy of any meaner intertainment; Raritie and difficultie are wont to cauſe wonder; There are many things which hauehave wonder in their worth, and leeſe it in their frequence; there are ſome which hauehave it in their ſtrangeneſſe, and leeſe it in their facilitie; Both meet in this. To ſee men haunted, yea poſſeſſed with a dumbe Deuill is ſo frequent, that it is a iuſt wonder to finde a man free; but to finde the dumbe ſpirit caſt out of a man, and to heare him praiſing God, confeſſing his ſinnes, teaching others the ſweet experiments of mercy, deſerues iuſt admiration. If the Cynick ſought in the market for a man amongſt men, well may we ſeeke amongſt men, for a conuert. Neither is the difficulty leſſe then the rareneſſe: The ſtrong man hath the poſſeſſion, all paſſages are blockt vp, all helpes barred, by the trechery of our nature; If any ſoule be reſcued from theſe ſpirituall wickedneſſes, it is the praiſe of him that doth wonders alone.
But whom doe I ſee wondring? The multiude; The vnlearned beholders follow that act with wonder, which the learned Scribes entertaine with obloquy: God hath reuealed thoſe things to babes, which he hath hid from the wiſe, and prudent. With what ſcorne did thoſe great Rabbins ſpeake of theſe ſonnes of the earth, This people that knowes not the Law is accurſed? Yet the merciemercy of God makes an aduantage of their ſimplicity; in that they are therefore leſſe ſubiect to cauillation, and incredulitie; as contrarily, his iuſtice cauſes the proud knowledge of the other to lie as a blocke in their way, to the ready aſſent vntounto the diuine power of the Meſſias; Let the pride of glorious aduerſaries diſdaine the pouerty of the clients of the Goſpell; it ſhall not repent vsus to goe to heauen with the vulgar, whiles their great ones goe in ſtate to perdition.
The multitude wondered; Who cenſured but Scribes great Doctors of the Law, of the diuinity of the Iewes? What Scribes, but thoſe of Ieruſalem, the moſt eminent Academie of Iudea? Theſe were the men, who out of their deepe reputed iudgment caſt theſe foule aſperſions vponupon Chriſt. Great wits oft-times miſ-lead both the owners and followers; How many ſhall once wiſh they had beene borne dullards, yea idiots, when they ſhal find their wit to hauehave barred them out of heauen? Where is the Scribe, where is the diſputer of this world? Hath not God made the wiſdome of the world fooliſhneſſe? Say the world what it will, a dram of holineſſe is worth a pound of wit; Let others cenſure with the Scribes, let me wonder with the multitude.
What could malice ſay worſe, Hee caſteth out Deuills through Beelzebub the Prince of Deuils? The Iewes well knew that the Gods of the heathen were no other then Deuills; Amongſt whom for that the Lord of Flies (ſo called, whether for the concourſe of flies to the abundance of his ſacrifices, or for his ayde implored againſt the infeſtation of thoſe ſwarmes) was held the chiefe, therefore they ſtile him, The Prince of Deuills. There is a ſubordination of ſpirits; ſome hier in degree, ſome inferiour to others; Our Sauiour himſelfe tells vsus of the Deuill, and his Angels; Meſſengers are inferiour to thoſe that ſend them: The ſeuen Deuills that entered into the ſwept and garniſhed houſe, were worſe then the former; Neither can Principalities, and Powers, and Gouernours, and Princes of the darkeneſſe of this World deſigne other then ſeuerall rankes of euill Angels; There can be no beeing, without ſome kinde of order, there can bee no order in paritie; If wee looke vp into heauen, there is The King of Gods, The Lord of Lords; hier then the hieſt? If to the earth, There are Monarchs, Kings, Princes, Peeres, people; If wee looke downe to hell, There is the Prince of Deuills; They labour for confuſion that call for parity; What ſhould the Church doe with ſuch a forme, as is not exemplified in heauen, in earth, in hell?
One deuill (according to their ſuppoſition) may be vſed to caſt out another: How far the command of one ſpirit ouer another may extend, it is a ſector of internall ſtate; too deepe for the inquiry of men: The thing it ſelfe is apparent; vponupon compact, and precontracted compoſition, one giues way to other for the common aduantage; As we ſee in the Common-wealth of Cheaters, and Gut-purſes, one doth the fact, another is ſeed to bring it out, and to procure reſtitution: both are of the trade, both conſpire to the fraud; the actor falls not out with the reuealer; but diuides with him that cunning ſpoile.
One malicious miſcreant ſets the Deuill on worke to the inflicting of diſeaſe, or death; another vponupon agreement, for a further ſpirituall gaine, takes him off; There is a Deuill in both; And if there ſeeme more bodily fauour, there is no leſſe ſpirituall danger in the latter; In the one Satan wins the agent, the ſuitor in the other; It will bee no cauſe of diſcord in hell, that one deuill giues eaſe to the body which another tormented, that both may triumph in the gaine of a ſoule. O God, that any creature which beares thine Image, ſhould not abhorre to bee beholden to the powers of hell for aid, for aduice? Is it not becauſe there is not a God in Iſrael, that men goe to inquire of the God of Ekron? Can men bee ſo ſottiſh to thinke that the vowed enemie of their ſoules can offer them a bait, without an hooke? What euill is there in the City which the Lord hath not done, what is there which he cannot as eaſily redreſſe: He wounds, he heales againe; And if he will not, it is the Lord, let him doe what ſeemes good in his eies; If he doe not deliuer vsus, he will crowne our faithfulneſſe in a patient perſeuerance. The wounds of a God no better then the ſalues of Satan.
Was it poſſible that the wit of Enuy could deuiſe ſo hie a ſlander? Beelzebub was a God of the heathen; therefore herein they accuſe him for an Idolater; Beelzebub was a Deuill to the Iewes, therefore they accuſe him for a coniurer; Beelzebub was the chiefe of Deuils, therefore they accuſe him for an Archexorciſt, for the worſt kind of Magician; Some profeſſors of this blacke Art, though their worke be deuilliſh, yet they pretend to doe it in the name of Ieſus; and will preſumptuouſly ſeeme to do that by command, which is ſecretly tranſacted by agreement; the Scribes accuſe Chriſt of a direct compact with the Deuill; and ſuppoſe both a league and familiarity, which by the law of Moſes (in the very hand of Saul) was no other then deadly; Yea ſo deepe doth this wound reach, that our Sauiour, ſearching it to the bottome, findes no leſſe in it then the ſinne againſt the Holy Ghoſt; inferring hereupon that dreadfull ſentence of the irremiſſibleneſſe of that ſinne vntounto death: And if this horrible crimination were caſt vponupon thee, O Sauiour, in whom the Prince of this world found nothing, what wonder is it if wee thy ſinfull ſeruants bee branded on all ſides with euill tongues?
Yea (which is yet more) how plaine is it that theſe men forced their tongue to ſpeake this ſlander againſt their owne heart? Elſe, this blaſphemie had beene onelyonly againſt the ſonne of man, not againſt the holy Ghoſt; but now, that the ſearcher of hearts finds it to bee no leſſe then againſt the bleſſed Spirit of God, the ſpight muſt needs be obſtinate; their malice doth wilfully croſſe their conſcience. Enuie neuer regards how true, but how miſchieuous; So it may gall, or kill, it cares little, whether with truth, or falſhood; For vsus, Bleſsed are we when men reuile vsus, and ſay all manner of euill of vsus, for the name of Chriſt; For them: What reward ſhall be giuen to thee, thou falſe tongue? Euen ſharpe arrowes with hot burning coles; Yea thoſe very coles of hell from which thou wert enkindled.
There was yet a third ſort that went a mid way betwixt wonder and cenſure; Theſe were not ſo malicious as to impute the miracle to a Satanicall operation, they confeſſe it good, but not enough; and therefore vrge Chriſt to a further proofe; Though thou haſt caſt out this dumbe Deuill, yet this is no ſufficient argument of thy diuine power; We hauehave yet ſeene nothing from thee like thoſe ancient miracles of the times of our forefathers. Ioſhua cauſed the Sunne to ſtand ſtill; Elias brought fire downe from heauen; Samuel aſtoniſht the people with thunder and raine in the midſt of harueſt; If thou wouldſt command our beleefe, doe ſomewhat like to theſe; The caſting out of a Deuill, ſhewes thee to hauehave ſome power ouer hell; ſhew vsus now that thou haſt no leſſe power ouer heauen. There is a kinde of vnreaſonableneſſe of deſire, and inſatiableneſſe in infidelitie; it neuer knowes when it hath euidence enough, This which the Iewes ouer-looked, was a more irrefragable demonſtration of diuinity, then that which they deſired. A Deuill was more then a Meteor, or a parcell of an element; to caſt out a Deuill by command, more then to command fire from heauen: Infidelitie euer loues to be her owne caruer.
No ſonne can be more like a father, then theſe Iewes to their progenitors in the deſert, that there might be no feare of degenerating into good, they alſo of old tempted God in the Wilderneſſe: Firſt, they are weary of the Egyptian bondage, and are ready to fall out with God, and Moſes, for their ſtay in thoſe fornaces: By ten miraculous plagues they are freed, and going out of thoſe confines, the Egyptians follow them, the Sea is before them: now they are more afflicted with their liberty, then their ſeruitude: The Sea yeelds way the Egyptians are drowned▪ and now, that they are ſafe on the other ſhore, they tempt the prouidence of God for water: The Rocke yeelds it them, then, no leſſe for bread and meat, God ſends them Manna, and Quailes, they cry out of the food of Angels; Their preſent enemies in the way are vanquiſhed, they whine at the men of meaſures, in the heart of Canaan: Nothing from God but mercy; nothing from them but temptations.
Their true brood both in nature and ſinne had abundant proofes of the Meſſiah; if curing the blinde, lame, diſeaſed, deafe, dumbe, eiecting deuills, ouer-ruling the elements, raiſing the dead could hauehave beene ſufficient; yet ſtill they muſt hauehave a ſigne from heauen; and ſhut vp in the ſtile of the Tempter, If thou be the Chriſt. The gracious heart is credulous, Euen where it ſees not, it beleeues; and where it ſees out a little, it beleeues a great deale; Neither doth it preſume to preſcribe vntounto God what, and how he ſhall work, but takes what it findes, and vnmoueably reſts in what it takes. Any miracle, no miracle ſerues enough for their aſſent, who hauehave built their faith vponupon the Goſpell of the Lord Ieſus.