Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 2 · Section 14
SECT. 14. Of the crueltie and malice of the devill.
THere are three things which moves us to revenge, Anger, Envie, and Hatred.
Anger ſeekes to bee revenged for the wrong done, but with a certaine meaſure that the puniſhment be anſwerable to the offence, and it reſembles ſomewhat Iuſtice.
The envious is grieved at the good which they ſee in others, and they think that it overſhadowes and diminiſhes their good, therefore it does not ſo much envie the good of others, as the obſcuring and overſhadowing of their owne gifts: But hatred lookes onelyonly to the deſtruction of others,The Devill is not ſaid to be angry with man. The Devill envies the ſtate of man. The devill is not ſaid to be angry with us, but either to envie, or to har… us: Hee envies the eſtate of man, and his eye is evill, becauſe he is good, Mat. 20.15. and the reaſons why he envies man is, becauſe hee hath fallen as a lightening from the Heaven, and hath no hope to be reſtored thither againe, but he ſeeing God to have mercy upon man, although he fell from his firſt bleſſed and happie eſtate, yet notwithſtanding the Lord brings him backe againe by degrees to a better eſtate: This grieves Satan to the heart, and he ſeekes by all meanes to draw man into that ſame pit of deſtruction which hee hath fallen into: but moſt of all he hates man deadly, wiſhing him all evill. Hee cannot be revenged upon the Lord, therefore he ſeekes to be revenged upon man: but this redounds backe againe to the Lord,Iuſtin. inſtitut. lib. 4. cap. de iniuriis. nam Domino per ſervos laeſos fit injuria.
There are found in man ſeverity, cruelty & ſavagenes.
Aſperitas crudelitas & feritas, theſe are found in man.This ſeveritie is when a man pardons nothing of the puniſhment which is to be infficted by the law, and clemencie is oppoſite to this, which is a ſort of pardoning, but not a free pardoning,What is ſeverity. it ſecludes not all ſort of puniſhment, but onelyonly mitigates the ſeverity: This ſeverity is found in the devill, for hee is moſt ſevere in exacting puniſhment, and mitigates nothing of the rigour. God who is clement is ſaid, Citra condignum punire, & ultra condignum praemiare; That is God puniſhes not to the full, but he rewards above our deſerts.
What is crueltie.Againe, there is in man crueltie, which puniſhes above meaſure, this crueltie pretends ſome ſort of Iuſtice, and preſuppoſeth ſome power to puniſh, either by a power indeed, or by an uſurped power. This power of the devill is an uſurped power, and no marvell if hee exerciſe it upon men out of meaſure.
The laſt is ſavagenes,Savageneſſe is worſt of all. when men delights as beaſts in crueltie, not for any juſtice; but onelyonly to ſatisfie their crueltie; and theſe were called Savi, Such was that devill, Mar. 9.20. this ſavagenes makes men lyke unto beaſts, and worſe then beaſts: The Lyon when hee hath killed a man, is not content to eate his fleſh, and breake his bones, and ſucke his marrow; but hee will tare his foreign, or clauſtrum cordis, that he may come to the heart; and that is the ſweeteſt morſell of all in the man to him; yet if the Beare fall downe before the Lyon and ſubmit himſelfe to him, the Lyon hath that generoſitie in him, that he will ſpare the Beare: But if man ſubmit himſelfe to Satan; hee will treade upon him, inſult over him, and teare him moſt fearefully. Beaſts may be ſomewhat excuſed, when they kill men, for they are moved to it to ſatisfie their hunger; but theſe curſed creatures, ſuch as are ſerpents, and hornets, and waſpes which ſtinges men, and after they have killed them, they can make no uſe neither of their fleſh, nor of their blood to feede upon them; theſe are worſt of all. Such is the hatred of Satan againſt man, who reapes no benefit by the killing of man: the Iewes call the devills Pur-gnanijoth, that is furies,foreign or revenging devills. Theſe malicious ſpirits ſeeke alwaies the deſtruction of man, and they thinke all to little which befalls man: when the Chaldeans had robbed Iob of his goods, and when fire came downe and killed his ſheepe, and ſervants, and when the houſe fell upon his children and ſmothered them, and when he had ſtricken Iob with botches and ſores from the head to the foote; when he had done all this (by Gods permiſſion) to Iob, hee counts it all but a touch of his finger, Iob 1.11. But when hee ſhall have full power upon the wicked, how heavie ſhall his Loynes be upon them; the eye hath not ſeene, the eare hath not heard, neither hath it entred into the heart of man, what the devills have prepared for the veſſells of wrath.
foreign ex foreign nabis et foreign ſugere in act …xerxe. Plutarchus.This ſavageneſſe of the devill exceedes all the crueltie of the Tyrants of the world: it exceedes Tzijanack navis ſugentis, Ier. 29.26. which the greekes called foreign, when they incloſed a man betwixt two boards, his head beeing free, and giving him by a cane a little honey and milke to ſucke, to keepe in his life, and annoynting his face with honey, & turning him alwaies to the ſunne, that the flies might moleſt and ſting him the more; and within he was eaten with wormes which bred of his owne corruption and filth. His crueltie exceedes vivicomburium, Ier. 29.3. when men were put quicke into the fire and burnt:Ʋivicomburium. it exceedes the crueltie of Manaſſeh who cauſed Eſau to bee ſawed with a ſaw, Heb. 11.37. It ſurpaſſeth the crueltie of Antiochus when he put the Iewes ad tympanum, Tympanum.2 Maccab. 19. It exceeds the crueltie of Nero, when he cauſed the Chriſtians to be put into a coate layed over with pitch and brimſtone and burne all the night that they might ſhow light to thoſe that paſſed by; Hence is that of Iuvenal. Satyr. 8.
Tunica moleſta.Auſi quod liciat tunica punire moleſta:
It exceedes Vngulam, that ſort of torment which Cyprian, Euſebius, and Tertulia: often makes mention of. It exceedes the crueltie of Cyclops, of Bufiris, of Phaleris, of Pyrillus, of Schiron: No crueltie can come neare to the crueltie of the Devill, Luk. 22.31. Satanas foreign, is depoſcere ad ſupplicium vel queſtionem, that is, hee deſired that they might bee put upon the racke.
There is no cre…ture that the Devill ſtudieth to hurt but man or for mans cauſe, which argues his inveterate hatred againſt man.
Man hath a threefold life.A man hath a threefold life; firſt his naturall life, ſecondly hee hath a civill life, and thirdly a ſpirituall life. Satan hates all theſe three, and ſtudies to bereave us of them.
Firſt, his naturall life,He hath a naturall life. Mar. 9.18. foreign which is to tare and rent as the dogge doth, Mat. 7.6. Marke 9.20. diſcerpit eum, and Luk. 8.29. foreign hee made him runne violently, as the horſe when hee is ſpurred, and made him teare and cut his owne fleſh with ſtones Mar. 5.5.
The worſhip which the devills affected,The worſhip which the devills affected to have man ſacrificed to them, ſhewes the great hatred which the devill hath againſt the naturall life of man. ſhowes their great hatred againſt the naturall life of man; of all the ſacrifices which was offered unto him, he delighted in none ſo much as in the blood of men; as when the Iewes offered their children to him, Pſal. 106.37. and in Creete they ſacrificed men to him: So did the Phoenitianes: and the Lacedemonians did offer 300. men to him at one time: This kinde of ſacrifice was abhorred by the heathen.Euſebius de praeparatione evangelica, lib. 4. Vide Morne Pleſſ. pagina 385. The King of Cyprus changed this ſort of ſacrifice, and in ſtead of men he would have oxen offered to the gods; and Hercules travelling through Italie, cauſed to make ſo many men of ſtraw to bee caſt into Tiber, when as before they uſed to caſt men into it, and hee is more commended for that, then for danting all the monſters, which he overcame.
Satan hateth this our naturall life, therefore they are mightily deluded, who runne to a witch for their health. As Ahaziah ſent to Baalzebub the god of Ekren for his health, 2 King. 1.2. the tender merciemercy of the wicked are cruell (ſaies Salomon, Prov. 12.10.) when ſatan heales the bodie, and deſtroyes the ſoule; that is a cruell merciemercy, wilt thou preferre the vile bodie, Phil. 3.21. to the precious ſoule. Pro. 6.26. The ſoule is called unica mea, Pſal. 22.20. my darling, which is farre to be preferred to the body, wilt thou loſe thy darling for to ſave thy poore body? propter vitam horae, wilt thou loſe vitam ſaeculi, thy eternall life.
Therefore thoſe who hold that there is ſome devills milder, which they call foreign, a milder ſort of devills (that hurts not, but takes away evill) are deceived; and likewiſe that there are ſome witches which the common people calles the Looſing witches, who does no hurt at all, but removes onelyonly that hurt which the binding witch layes on the ſicke perſon: But they are moſt of all deceived, who thinke that they can command this malicious and cruell devill, for he will never bee commanded with one of his ſlaves. One blamed Ariſtippus, that he haunted too much the company of the harlot Thais, & more then became a man of his profeſſion; Ariſtippus anſwered to him, who reproved him; This is the difference betwixt me & my corrivalls, that ſhee commands all the reſt, but I command her; but what replyed the man to him? Thou art (ſaith he) ſo much the more taken in the Net of Thais: So theſe who bragge that they can command the devill are ſo much the more his ſlaves, and they are twofold more the children of hell.
The devill is a maliciovs and ſubtill ſpirit: Therefore if a man be poſſeſſed, it were not lawfull for us to aske any queſtions of the devill, as Chriſt poſed him, Mark. 5. what was his name? how many was there of them, and why he entred into the man? Chriſt having abſolute power over the devills, might aske him theſe queſtions; But wee have no ſuch power over them: Therefore we may not oppoſe them this way; for by this meanes wee might bee brought in familiarity with the devills. 1 Cor. 10 20. I would not that ye ſhould have fellowſhip with the devills and by theſe meanes hee more eaſily inſnares us, we ſhould not be ignorant of his deceits, 2 Cor. 2.11. The Caſuiſt Leſsius holds, that it is lawfull to aske ſuch queſtions of him,Leſsius lib 2. cap. 42. note 70. providing that they be asked Sine ullo ſign… benevolentiae, without any ſigne of good will:Naevarrus cap. 11. not 28. And Navarrus the caſuiſt addes further, that if of curioſity men demand of the devill ſuch queſtions, it is no mortall ſinne.
So it is not lawfull either to ſeeke health of him, or of his inſtruments the witches, and ſorcerers; the caſuiſt Leſsius holds, If a witch by certaine magicall ſignes given by the devill, hath hurt a man,Leſſius lib. 2. cap. 9. not. 48. In this caſe (if there be no other remedy) he may compell her by beating & ſcratching of her, to remove this hurt or ſicknes, which ſhe hath layd upon him; but withall he addes, that ſhe muſt not remove this evill by another charme, which is as evill; neither muſt he expect a poſitive effect from the devill, but onelyonly that he ceaſe from hurting of him any more. But we anſwere, that to ſeeke a cure by ſcratching of the witch, and ſhedding of her blood, is a breach of the ſixt commandement, and we are onelyonly to ſeeke of the Lord that he would remove theſe evills; for it is he that woundeth, and he that healeth: The Lord Commanded when the Iſraelites were numbred that every one ſhould pay a ranſome to the Lord, halfe a ſhekell, Exod. 30.12. that there be no plague amongſt them: by this the Lord taught them that it was he who was Lord of their lives.
As Satan envies our naturall life, ſo he envies our civill life: when he takes away firſt our goods,Satan envies our civill life. and then our good name; Mans goods are called his life, Luke 8.43. conſumpſit foreign ſhe ſpent her whole life, that is, the goods which maintained her life.Vivere eſt ſecundis rebus uti Iob 21.7. So Prov. 27.27. Thou ſhalt have life for thy maydes, that is, thou ſhalt have maintenance for thy maydes; and becauſe our goods are the meanes to entertaine our life, therefore, Deut. 20.19. Ye ſhall not cut downe the tree of the field, Quia homo eſt arbor agri, becauſe man is the tree of the field, that is, the tree entertaines the life of man; and therefore it is called a man. So Deut. 24.6. the over and the nether milſtones are called a mans life; becauſe they are the meanes by the which the life of man is entertained. The Devill tooke theſe helpes from Iobs life; and the witches commonly kills mens cattle, horſes, and ſheepe, when they cannot hurt the men themſelves.
So he envies our good name: The devill in the Syriacke, Vide Buxtor. in radice gnug.Math. 4. is called A kal Kartza, commedens accuſationes; and the reaſon of the name was this, becauſe they gave theſe Sycophantes and accuſers, paſties baked with honie that they might accuſe and caluminat the more freely. It was hee who objected to the Chrians, Thieſtaeas caenas, inceſtus Oedipodeas, promiſcuas libidines, & conjurationes in principes. And therfore he is a moſt impudent accuſer. Satan ſtood at the right hand of Ioſhua to accuſe him Zach. 3.1. (for the accuſers ſtood at the right hand of him whom they accuſed Pſ. 106) The devil is Ptyas, Tertul & quiquid publice utilitati infamis erat.that ſpitting ſerpent Pſa. 144 who ſpits his venome a far off; Tam abſentes laedit, quam praeſentes pungit; And therefore he is called foreign,He is called foreign …rim…nator, criminatio non ſit ſine ve…bis, ſed Satan ad…erſotur & verbis & factis a foreign, which properly ſignifies, traijcere; becauſe with his venemous dart he peirces the children of God: he is not foreign, Suſurro, who whiſpers privately againſt the children of God; but he is an open calumniator; who markes the wants and defects of the children of God; when Ioſhua ſtood with ſoule cloaths before the Lord, Satan was ready to accuſe him. Zach. 3.3. when he was new come out of the Captivity, like a firebrand new taken out of the fire: Satan hath no pitty on him, but he is then ready to accuſe him; if Ioſhua's cloathes be ſulled, he is ready to marke that, ſo he watches for our halting Ier. 20.10. and is glad when he ſees us halt Pſal. 35.15. and if there be a hole in our coate, he will ſay, we are ragged, and if we halt but a little, he will ſay wee are creeples. Therefore we had neede to pray, Pſalme 120.2. Deliver my ſoule O Lord from lying lips; and from a deceitfull tongue. So he envies our life in the policie, an evill ſpirit of diſcention came betwixt Abimelech, and the men of Sechem, Iudge 9.23.
But above all he envies our ſpirituall life:Satan above all envies our Spirituall life. Therefore it was that hee let Saint Paul that he might not come to the Theſſalonians, 1 Theſ. 2.18. for he knew well, that where there is no viſion, the people are naked, Pro. 29.18. and this was the reaſon why he was a lying ſpirit, in the mouthes of the falſe Prophets; And when the paſtors are preſent with their flockes, and ſowing their good ſeede, Satan comes in, and pickes up the good ſeede which is ſowne Math. 13.19. and when they have ſowne their good ſeede, then the wicked one comes and ſowes his kockell and his darnell; and when the ſeede hath taken roote, Satan leaves not off here; he ſought to winnow Peters faith Luke 22.31. ſo he labours to corrupt the paſtors, to teach hereticall doctrine, and this is called a doctrine of Devils, 1 Tim.
Satan envies our ſpirituall life, as our hearing of the Word; he poſſeſſeth a man with a deafe devill, Marke 9.25. The Lord takes the greateſt paines about our eares, more than any of the reſt of all our ſenſes to open our eare, Eſay. 50.5. to uncover our eare. Iob 33.16. To circumciſe our eare, Ierem. 6.10. To unſtop the eare. Eſay 35.5. To boare our eare Pſal. 40.6. So ſtillare in aurem, to drope into our eare, Ezeck. 21.2. Deut. 32. Hence it is that ſo often it is repeated in the Scripture, He that hath eares to heare let him heare. But the Devill ſhutes the eare, he poſſeſſed a man with a deafe devill, Marke 9.25. The eare is Ianua vitae, the gate of life; Faith commeth by hearing; he ſtoppeth this ſenſe that he might not heare and ſo get faith.
He temptes us in our faith. 1 Theſ. 3.5. I ſent to know your faith, leaſt by ſome meanes the tempter ſhould have tempted you. Sometimes he drawes us to foreign that we have no faith, when hee pickes up the ſeede when it is new ſowne, Math. 13. here there can be no faith: ſometimes he drawes us ad foreign to little faith, O thou of little faith, Math. 14.31. and ſometimes hee drawes us ad foreign to wavering when the ballance goes, foreign up and downe, and keepes not an equall meaſure: when Peter ſaid to Chriſt Math. 26.35. If all ſhould leave thee yet would not I, here the ballance goes up; and when he denied him at the voice of a Damſell, Math. 26.69. here the ballance goes downe. So when he ſaid to Chriſt, Iohn 13.6. Thou ſhalt never waſh my feete, here the ballance goes downe, and when he ſaid unto him, waſh head feete and all, Iohn 13.9. here the ballance goes up: So when he ſaid Maſter bid mee come to thee on the water, Math. 14.28. here the ballance goes up, but when he ſaid I ſinke Maſter, Math. 14.30. here the ballance goes downe. But he ſuffers few to come to this foreign great faith, Chriſt gives that commendation but to two, and they were both ſtrangers: to the Cananitiſh woman, Math. 15.28. and to the Centurion, Math. 8.10.
And how earneſt he is againſt our ſpirituall life, we may ſee it by his often tempting of Chriſt; He left him for a ſeaſon, Luke 4.13. Yet he tempted him againe by the Phariſees and Saduces, and by Peter, Math. 16.23. And when Chriſt was about to offer himſelfe a ſacrifice to God his Father, then came the Prince of this world to diſcourage him, Iohn 14.13.
actantius in Alen.So Satan hates the Chriſtians, and the Chriſtian religion above all religion; Lactantius. ſaith, when the heathen were ſacrificing to their gods, if a Chriſtian had beene preſent they facrificed not: Hence was that ſaying brought in into their myſteries (exeant Chriſtiani) let the Chriſtians goe forth; he hated ſo the Chriſtians, that he could not abide them, nor their religion.
The Scripture gives Satan many ſtrange and terrible names, firſt he is called Satan;The Scripture gives Satan many terrible names. becauſe inteſtino odio homines proſequitur, he hates man with a deadly hatred: he is foreign a hater of men; but we have to oppoſe to him Chriſt, who is foreign, a Lover of men. Secondly, he is called foreign, the accuſer of the brethten. Revel. 12.10. This foreign ſignifies not any ſort of accuſer, but ſuch an accuſer who accuſes before a King. In the Revel. 12.10. hee is called the accuſer before the Lord; So he accuſed Ioſhua before the Lord Zach. 3.3. and oppoſite to him, we have foreign and foreign, who interceeds with the King for us. Chriſt is our foreign; or advocate 1 Ioh. 2.1. Thirdly the devill is called Abaddon, and Apollyon, Revel. 9.12. and the Devils are called Sheddim, Deut. 32.17. Pſal. 105.37. from Shadad, evertere, praedari, foreign daemon.vaſtare. Eſay 16.22.23. And in the Hiſtorie of Tobias, foreign vastabit.the devill is cald Aſhmodeus, from Shamad, vaſtare; becauſe he makes havocke, and waſtes all; and oppoſit to him is Chriſt, who is our Saviour and ſaves us.foreign dominus muſcae. Fourthly, the devill is called Beelzebub, dominus muſcarum, lord of flies; the Legions of the devills flies in the middle Region of the aire: But the Lord of Hoſtes is oppoſit to him, who hath commandment over all the creatures. Fiftly, he is that old Serpent, Revel. 12.19. And the Serpent oppoſit to him, is Chriſt lift up in the wilderneſſe. Ioh. 3.14. Laſt Satan is a roaring Lyon; and Chriſt the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah is oppoſite to him. Revel. 15.15. When Zacharie ſaw foure hornes lifted up to ſcatter Iſrael, he ſaw foure Carpenters ready to beate them downe, Zach. 1.10. So whatſoever hornes Satan lifts up againſt the Church, The Lord is ready to beate them downe, and if there be poyſon in the Serpent, Chriſt is our Antidote.
In every fight it is moſt fit that wee know our owne weakeneſſe, and the ſtrength of our adverſarie: It was of old a moſt fearefull thing foreign, to fight with beaſts, 1 Cor. 15.32. we have to fight with a roaring Lyon, and an old ſerpent, qui foreign eſt, who uſeth both craft and malice in his fight againſt us: Therefore ſeeing we are not able to withſtand him in this fight, we ſhould pray to the Lord God who is Iſh milthama, vir belli, that hee would ſtand for us leaſt wee fall in this combat.