Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 2 · Section 13
SECT. 13. Of the craft of the Devill.
THe Scripture ſaith, Let no man deceive you in ſublime diſcourſe, touching the worſhipping of Angels preſſing to that he knoweth not, Col. 2.18. Here is forbidden the adoration of Angels, and an opinion Phantaſticall of them, either to extoll them further then appertaineth to the degree of a creature, or to extoll a mans knowledg of them further than he hath a ground, but to enquire ſo far as the Scriptures teacheth us, or nature it ſelfe, either of the good angels, or of theſe revolted Devils, that is not forbidden: To converſe with them, to imploy them, to covenant with them, or to worſhip them that is forbidden, but the contemplation of their nature, their power, their illuſions, either by ſcripture or reaſon, is a part of ſpirituall wiſedome; for the Apoſtle ſayes wee are not ignorant of his ſtratagems,We may enquire of the nature of the devills, although we may not covenant with them, or worſhip them. and it is no more unlawfull to enquire the nature of evil ſpirits, then it is to enquire the force of poyſon in nature, or the nature of ſinne and vice in moralitie.
Firſt let us conſider what inſtruments Satan made choiſe of, to deceive the woman by; he made choiſe of the Serpent, the craftieſt beaſt in the field: As Ioab made choiſe of the wiſe woman of Tecga, and put a Parable in her mouth, for to begge pardon for Abſolon at the Kings hand, he is foreign; this foreign is ſometimes taken in a good ſenſe gnarum, Prov. 27.12. the crafty ſeeeth the Plague, and hideth him: and ſometimes in a bad ſenſe Ier. 4.22. they are crafty to doe evill. Sathan is crafty in this ſenſe.
Sathan makes choiſe of the ſubtilleſt heads to be his inſtruments:Satan makes choiſe of the ſubtileſt heads to be his inſtruments. And as the moath breeds in fineſt cloath, ſo Sathan commonly imployes the craftieſt and beſt wittes, to be his inſtruments to trouble and vexe the Church of God; As he chooſed Vlpian that great Lawyer to write bookes againſt the Chriſtians; ſo he made choiſe of Porphir that great philoſopher, to write againſt the Chriſtians; and Galen the Phyſitian, and Lucian the ſcoffer, and Iulian the Apoſtate: But God makes choiſe of the fooliſh things of the world to confound the wiſe; the Angell ſpake out of the mouth of Baalam's Aſſe, theſe crafty tentations of Sathan are called his ſnares. 1 Tim. 3.7.
Satan obſerves the humours of the body.Satan in his tentations he obſerves the humors of the body of man, and that humour which predominates moſt in the body, that humor he obſerves and takes occaſion to tempt men by it. When God converts a man to grace, he doth not take away the naturall humors of the body, but onelyonly rectifies them; But Satan perverts the humors of the body, that by them he may worke mans deſtruction, and eſpecially he workes by melancholy upon the body; and therefore melancholy is called eſca diaboli by the Fathers; ſuch was the melancholy of Saul, the devill wrought upon his conſtitution, and troubled him ſundry times, and Math. 17.15. this melancholicke in the Syriacke is called Bar Agara, and they tranſlate it commonly filium agri, foreign Extra tectum.the ſonne of the field, but not rightly, for filius agri ſignifieth properly an husband man, as filius civitatis ſignifieth a Citizen, Luke 15.15. Therefore they tranſlate it better, who tranſlate it Bar extra, & agar a domum; becauſe the uncleane ſpirits made the melancholious man flye out of the houſes; and to live amongſt the graves. Theſe devils they call Sorodaemones, that is ſepulchrales larvae, who drove the melancholickes to live amongſt the graves, Math. 8.29. and tombes of the de…. Theſe ſometimes are called foreign: and foreign: and the Greeke Phyſitians call this diſeaſe foreign; Nebuchadnezer was vexed with this.
When Satan poſſeſſeth theſe melancholickes there is ſome naturall thing in this diſeaſe, and ſome ſpirituall,When Satan poſſeſſes the melancholicke the naturall cauſe would be helped by phyſicke, and the devill caſt out by prayer. and both would be removed, both the next cauſe, and the remote cauſe: A man is taken with a feaver; the cheefe cauſe, is the abundance of choller, and the ſecond cauſe is, becauſe hee hath walked too much in the heate of the ſunne; firſt his choller muſt bee purged, and then he muſt be removed to a place where there is more ſhadow, and not ſo much heate: Theſe melancholickes are not cured but by prayer, and faſting, as by a ſpirituall Antidote; There muſt alſo Phyſicke bee uſed for the purging of this melancholy, which is the Devills bait; An evill ſpirit came upon Saul, and David played upon his Harpe, and then the evill ſpirit left him,Vtimur muſica vel pro diſciplina, vel pro delectatione, vel pro aenimi purgatione, vel pro ſedandis affectionibus & morum compoſit one. 2 King. 3.15. 1 Sam. 16.24. David uſed a double remedy heere to helpe this trouble of Saul; firſt the ſweete ſinger of Iſrael ſang Pſalmes, 2 Sam. 23.1. by his calling upon the name of the Lord, he caſt out this devill. Secondly by his muſicke he ſetled his melancholy;Tarantula i…ti quam primum audiuntur inſtrumenta muſica levatur dolor; Mathiolus in Dioſcoridem, lib. 1. 57. when the Phyſitian preſcribed to the melancholean, to abſteine from ſuch and ſuch meates, becauſe they either increaſe or at leaſt doth irritat this humour of melancholy; They may doe this, not onelyonly becauſe it is wholeſome to the body; but alſo becauſe it is the Devils baite; therefore they preſcribe abſtinence from ſuch; No ſort of dyet diſpleaſeth or pleaſeth Satan, but by accident, becauſe by them the humour is increaſed, which makes way for his tentation.
Satan obſerves the full moone, and then vexeth the Lunatickes: The ſecond ſort were thoſe whom Satan vexed not monethly as he did the Lunatickes, but oftentimes whenſoever it taketh him, it caſtes him into the fire, Mark. 9.18.22.
Thoſe whom he vexed in the full moone, were called Lunatici or Siderati.
A difference betwixt foreign and foreign.We muſt put a difference betwixt theſe, foreign, and foreign were thoſe who any wayes were poſſeſſed by the devill, they were called alſo arrepticij, foreign were thoſe whom Sathan poſſeſſed in the full moone foreign were thoſe who were Chriſtians, but for their abuſe of the holy myſteries of God, they were poſſeſſed by Sathan for a time, and foreign was a naturall diſeaſe which wee call madneſſe. Thoſe Daemoniackes and Lunatickes were onelyonly cured by the Lord himſelfe, and his power. Thoſe who were foreign were cured by the exorciſtes in the Primitive Church; and foreign madneſſe was cured by Phyſicke and naturall meanes.
Heat and moiſt makes the braine to ſwell Sathan obſerving this vexes the Lunatickes.Satan knowing well the naturall cauſe of things, and that the moone is hote and moiſt: it is hote as the ſunne although not in ſo high a degree. Pſal. 121.6. … ſunne ſhall not burne thee by day, nor the moone by night. He knew alſo that ſhe was humide and moiſt and fit to nouriſh things. Therefore the Scriptures call herbes protruſiones lunares the pretious things brought foorth by the moone, Deut. 33.14. Becauſe the moone is humide and hot, ſhe workes upon our braines and makes them to ſwell up: heate and moyſture cauſes things to ſwell up as wee ſee in leaven. Therefore the ſcripture cals pedom fermentatum a ſwelling foote Deut. 8.4. neither was thy foote fermented, that is, it was not ſwelled, ſo heate and moiſture cauſeth the braine to ſwell in the full moone, and Satan obſerving this, troubleth the braine of the Lunaticke then.
Every one that is Lunaticke is not a doemoniacke, or poſſeſſed by a devill.All Lunatickes are not doemoniackes neither are all Lunatickes upon whom the moone ſhines in her brightneſſe. If this diſeaſe depended ſimply upon the moone, then all men ſhould be doemoniackes. Therefore to make them doemoniackes, it was neceſſarie that the body ſhould bee affected thus and thus, ſo that the moone might afterward produce in the body this diſeaſe; The moone workes nor ſo upon bodies, that ſhe produceth this effect upon them, unleſſe they be ſo affected before, that the moone may produce this effect upon them; and when the devill affects the body, ſo that he makes it ſubject to ſuch an operation of the moone; then hee that is Lunaticke is arreptitius and poſſeſſed by the devill.
The ſecohd ſort were thoſe whom Satan vexed not monethly, but whenſoever the fit tooke him,There were others that Satan vexed at ſundrie times but not monethly. hee threw him in the fire, or in the water.
Obſerve here firſt the devill vexed him who was poſſeſſed from his infancie: ſecondly, he vexed him both within and without; without he threw him into the water, and into the fire; within whereſoever he taketh him, he teareth him, and he fometh, and gnaſheth with his teeth, and pineth away, Marke 9.18.
He vexeth him from his infancie: as the devill vexed this miſerable creature from his infancie, ſo the Lord hath his good Angels waiting upon infants to preſerve them in their infancie, Math. 18.10. Take heede that ye deſpiſe not one of theſe little ones, for I ſay unto you that in heaven their Angels doe alwayes behold the face of God. Angells have a care of all Gods little ones, but eſpecially of his little ones in age, whom he ſets downe as examples of imitation to all his little ones, Math. 19.
Secondly, he threw him into the fire, and into the water, fire and water are the two elemens which are moſt neceſſarie for the uſe of man, therefore thoſe who were proſcripti of old, interdicibantur▪ igne & aqua; Sathan abuſes theſe two elements to the hurt of man, either when he throwes him into the fire, or into the water: and the good Angels have a ſpeciall care over young ones that they fall not into the fire or water, this is a ſpeciall part of their charge to preſerve the ſonnes of men. Angels have a threefold motion; firſt, motum circularum, their circular motion: ſecondly, they have motum rectum, a ſtraight motion up and downe: and thirdly, they have their reflexe motion. Their circular motion they make to be this,Dionyſius areopagita de divinis, nominibus. cap. 4. when they are alwayes taken up in beholding the face of God who is Alpha and Omega without beginning and ending: their direct motion they hold to be this, when the Angels comes up and downe upon the Lord Ieſus Chriſt to be the miniſtring ſpirits unto the Saint, Iohn 1.51. And their reflex motion they make to bee this, when one of the Angels cries to another and ſayes, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hoſts, Eſay 6.3.
The devill threw him into the fire and water, Ithiel. Pro. 30.4. Who gathereth the wind into his fiſts, who binds the waters in a garment, and puts a bridle in the mouth of the ſea foreign Marke 4.39. It is he that can bridle and reſtraine the Devils that they cannot hurt when and where it pleaſeth them. The Devill made him foame at the mouth, and gnaſh with his teeth, Marke 9. and teare himſelfe, if Satan can vexe ſo poore creatures when they are but as warders, what will he doe to them when he hath them cloſe priſoners in hell. And if he hath ſo vexed the greene tree (as Iob, and the daughter of Abraham and this young child) what will he doe to the withered trees; and if his little finger have beene ſo heavie on poore creatures on earth here, how heavie will his loynes be on them in hell, where there ſhall bee weeping and gnaſhing of teeth, Math. 13.42.
This foreign or veterator labours to deceive our ſight, and that three manner of wayes;The Devill deceives our ſight three manner of wayes. firſt by the object; ſecondly by the mids, and thirdly when he vitiates the organ it ſelfe: firſt by the object, when he ſhewed to Chriſt the glory of the whole world, he thought to have deceived him by the object, Math. 4. When the Moabites tooke the water to have beene blood, when the ſunne ſhined upon it, 2 Kings 3.22. here the deceit was in the object, ſecondly the deceit is in the mids, when we put an oare in the water, that part which is in the water ſeemes to be broken, and that out of the water ſeemes to be whole, the deceit is in the mids, when we ſee a fiſh in the water, the fiſh ſeemes more to us and nearer, by reaſon that the thinner and rarer midſe is next to our eye, but the remote midſe from our eye, the water is more thicke and groſſe, but if a man were in the water, and beheld another ſtanding upon the brinke of the River, he ſhould ſeeme to the beholder much leſſe than he is; The reaſon is, becauſe the next midſe to the eye is thicker and groſſer, and the remote midſe is rarer and thinner: When Simon Magus ſeemed to flye in the ayre, Here the deception was in the midſe; for the devill put ſome falſe midſe betwixt their eye and the object, that hee ſeemed to flye. Thirdly the ſight is vitiat when the orgaine is vitiat;Satan can deceive when the organ is vitiat. as when one hath the yellow-jaundies, then all things ſeeme yellow to him: So when the humours are groſſe, and hinders the ſight from being carried to the Nerve opticke; then the impediment is in the Organe: When Satan poſſeſſed a man with a dumb and a blind devill, then the organe it ſelfe was corrupted, Math. 12.22.
The Devill can deceive the ſight, therefore theſe Iuglers who delude the ſenſes, ſhould not be ſuffered in a Chriſtian Common-wealth; for it is the firſt degree to witchcraft.
Satan deludes the phantaſie.Fourthly, as this crafty Satan deludes our ſenſes, ſo doth he our phantaſie: The phantaſie is a midſe betwixt ſenſe and underſtanding: Therefore the devill troubleth our phantaſie more than our ſenſe; and becauſe phantaſie is the next gate to underſtanding, therefore he troubleth it moſt.
Satan deceives the underſtanding.Fifthly, this crafty devill deceiveth our underſtanding 2 Cor. 11.13. But I feare leaſt by any meanes, as the Serpent deceived Eve through his ſubtiltie, ſo your mindes ſhould be corrupted. Mentem hominis per ſubſtantiam nihil implere poteſt praeter creatricem trinitatam, implet vero Satanas cor non quidem illud ingreſſus, ſed callida deceptione in malitiae affectum animam trahens per cogitationes vitiorumque incentiva.The evill angels can put into the heart evill thoughts, ſtirre up evill paſſions, to obſcure the underſtanding, to deprave the will, and trouble the phantaſie: they can oppoſe themſelves to the good Angels, when they are about to illuminate the phantaſie, and repreſent good thoughts to it: but they cannot directly enter into the underſtanding. This Serpent hath yet more dangerous tentations, which are called Profunda Satanae, the depthes of Satan. Revel. 2.24. who can finde them out, and what have we to oppoſe againſt them. Prov. 21. There is no counſell againſt the Lord; Achitophel his counſell was like the Oracle of God. 2 Sam. 16.23. and yet the Lord turned it all to fooliſhneſſe. 2 Sam. 15.31. So all theſe depths of Satan which he plots againſt the Church, the Lord can turne them to folly.
Sixtly, Satan in his ſubtill tentations purſueth the weaker firſt.He obſerves the Sex. The Apoſtle 1 Cor. 7. ſets downe a heavenly order; God is Chriſts head, Chriſt is the mans head, and man is the womans head; Satan in his tentations began with the woman firſt; Secondly, he tempted man the womans head; Thirdly, he tempted Chriſt the mans head; But he d…ſtonever aſſay to tempt God Chriſts head; becauſe no uncleane thing enters into the heavens, Revel. 21.
Hee tempted the woman firſt, and then the man: Hence we may learne, that ſorcerers, and magitians are more dangerous inſtruments of the devill then witches are.
Satan tempted the woman firſt, therefore he prevailes moſt with that ſexe; yet Exod. 22. ye ſhall not ſuffer a woman witch to live.Mekaſhpa in the feminine gender. ſo Lev. 20.27. and as Satan deceived the woman firſt; So his inſtruments are readieſt to deceive ſilly captive women loaden with ſinns, 2 Tim. 3.6. when they creepe into their houſes▪ in the Syriacke it is damchaldin. Chalda ſignifieth properly muſtellam or viverram, a wee fill or a ferret, for as a ferret ſeeketh out all the corners of the clapper, ſo the Heretickes craftily creepe into ſilly womens houſes, and deceive them. And as the devill tempted the woman firſt and deceived her, and made her the inſtrument to deceive the man: ſo hee moved Iobs wife to tempt him, and Miriam to move Aaron to murmure againſt Moſes; Therfore the text ſaies, obl…cutae ſunt Miriam & Aaron, Num. 12.1. Shee was placed firſt, becauſe ſhe was chiefe in the tranſgreſſion, and drew Aaron to it;foreign So the Jewes ſtirred up devour women to perſecute Paul. Act. 13.50.
Seventhly in his tentations hee obſerves our predominant ſinnes, and what wee are moſt inclined into,Satan obſerves our predominante ſinnes. there hee layeth the baite before us, o… taken from us theſe things which hee knowes the heart is moſt ſet upon. As he layed the Babyloniſh ga…e … t…wedge of gold before Achan, Ioſh. 7.21. And …e preſented Ta…ar in a whooriſh buske before …, Gen. 38.15. and the Moabitiſh women before the Iſraelites to inſnare them, and to draw them to whoredome, Numb. 25.1. So he promiſeth to the baſe witches ſome gaine, but to high ſpirits; as to Iannes, and Iambres, to Elimas the ſorcerer, and to Fauſtus; to theſe he promiſes the gift of miracles, as it were to make them men renowned: So hee takes from them the thing that they love beſt, as the Gergeſites ſwine from them.
Eightly, hee obſerves our ages, our young yeares, middle yeares, and old yeares, and hath a ſeveral temptation for every time, in our younger yeares, he tempts us to luſt. 1. Tim. 2.22.
In our middle age, hee tempts us ad foreign to the love of honour, and preferment as ſundry of the popes ſought by Necromancy to come to the Popedome as Silveſter the ſecond, and many others of them; And in our old age hee tempts us to foreign to the love of money, and this makes many in their old age to fall to the Devill: And hee tempts us in all our ages ad foreign to ſelfe love.Satan obſerves our worldly eſtate, and fits his tentations to it.
Laſtly, he obſerves our temporarie eſtate, whether we bee poore or rich; If wee bee poore, then hee perſwades us to ſteale, and to take the name of God in vaine, Pro. 30.9. this is to turne ſtones into bread, Mat. 4. And if we be rich, then he hath another temptation for us, to deny God, and to ſay, who is the Lord; The rich men then fall to oppreſſion; and to the grinding of the faces of the poore; And then they turne bread into ſtones, Prov. 20.17. This is the devills Alchimy, and as the poore turnes ſtones into bread;Satan hurts more by his craft, then by his ſtrength. ſo the rich turnes bread into ſtones.
Satan hurts more by his craft, then by his ſtrength, when he comes hiſſing as a Serpent, then when hee comes roaring as a Lyon: The Egyptians hurt the Iſraelites more with their wiles, then with their ſtrength, Exod. 1.10. & the Midianites with their wiles vexed the people of God, Num. 25.18. more then all the Moabites and Ammonites did with their ſtrength; and Iulian the Apoſtate hurt more the Chriſtian Church with his craft, then all the ten perſecuters did with their perſecutions: Therefore wee ſhould bee more afraid of his craft then of his power or malice.
Seeing we have ſo craftie and ſo ſubtile an enemie, we ſhould learne to bee wiſe, to defend our ſelves againſt this his craft. Our forefathers at the firſt thought it enough to arme themſelves againſt the wild beaſts, that they might not hurt them: but afterward they learned to eate their fleſh, and to cloath themſelves with their skinnes; So ſhould wee not onelyonly ſeeke to defend our ſelves from the Devill, but alſo to learne by this his craft and ſubtilitie to be wiſe as ſerpents and ſimple as Doves, Mat. 10.16. and this is a great point; of wiſdome de utilitate capienda ex inimicis, as Plutarch ſpeaketh.