Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 2 · Section 15
SECT. 15. By what meanes Satan is to be reſiſted.
THe weapons wherewith Satan is to be reſiſted, are not carnall weapons, 2 Cor. 10.4. for the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling downe of ſtrong holdes.
Firſt wee will handle here the counterfeit and falſe weapons, by which men have gone about to reſiſt Satan, and next the true weapons by which he is to bee reſiſted.
The counterfeit weapons which have beene uſed to reſiſt the devill.The counterfeite weapons by which men have gone about to reſiſt Satan, were either in the Iewiſh ſynagogue or Chriſtian Church.
The counterfeit weapons in the Iewiſh ſynagogue.In the Iewiſh ſynagogue, God commanded the Iewes to weare Phylacteries, to put them in remembrance to obſerve the Law of God, out they abuſed theſe Tephilim, or Phylacteries, they made them foreign or helps to prayer; as though they were derived from Palal, precari to pray, and not from Taphal, apponere, which is the right root; and the 70. tranſlate them foreign, if as ye would ſay immobilia, things that could not be removed, but afterward they abuſed them to bee foreign, remedies againſt enchantments, which varro called Praebia, quaſi brevia; hence comes our word briefe which Satan gives to men for to ſave themſelves from hurts. Therefore it was altogether prohibited in the Councill of Laodicea to make Phylacteries. The Chaldee paraphraſt paraphraſing upon Cant. 3.8. brings in the ſynagogue of the Iewes, ſpeaking after this manner, I am beloved above all people, becauſe I binde my Tephilim upon my left hand, and the paper is affixed to my right ſide, and the third part of it looks towards my bed, that there may be no power in the Devils to hurt me. Here they abuſe their phylicteries as a remedy againſt Magicke.
Secondly, they abuſed their circumciſion, making it a remedy againſt Satan, the Chaldee paraphraſt paraphraſing upon the words of Soloman Cant. 3.8. (Every one hath his ſword upon his thigh for the feare of the night) he notes this word upon the thigh to be the ſeale of circumciſion in the fleſh, whereby they prevaile and doe not feare the devils that walke abroad in the night.
Thirdly, they abuſed incenſe, making it a meanes to baniſh the devill, Cant. 4.6. (I will get me to the hill of incenſe) The Chaldee paraphraſt pharaphraſing upon this place, ſaith, Omni tempore quo populus domus Iſrael tenebat manibus ſuis artem patrum ſuorū juſtorū, fugiebant daemones nocentes, tenebriones, & matutini, & meridiani; eo quod majeſtas gloriae domini reſidebat in domo ſanctuarij, quae aedificata eſt in monte Moriah, & omnes daemones & ſpiritus nocentes ſugiebant ab odore incenſi aromatum; that is, all the time that the houſe of Iſrael kept the Art of their holy Fathers, the devils fled away, both the morning devils, and thoſe of the midde day; becauſe the majeſtie of God dwelt in the ſanctuarie, which was built upon mount Moriah, and all the devils fled away when they ſmelled the ſmell of this incenſe.
Fourthly, they held that rootes and hearbes had power to expell the devill. Ioſephus lib. 7. cap. 23. Radix quae bara dicitur, … ſtatim expellit daemonia; The roote called Bara preſently drives out the devill. And the ſame Ioſephus in his book 8. of Antiquity cap. 7. ſhewes, that Salomon had skill in exorciſing, and conjuring of ſpirits; which he got from the Lord, as the reſt of his knowledge; and that he uſed to hold theſe rootes to the noſtrells of the poſſeſſed, that by the ſmell or ſmoake of theſe, the devils might bee driven out. Thus we ſee how the Iewes in theſe times were too much given to magicke.
Fiftly, they tooke the Liver of a fiſh whereby they might caſt out Satan. Tob. 7. but theſe are carnall weapons, and the devill doth no more care for ſuch weapons, than the Leviathan doth, who eſteemeth Iron as ſtraw, and braſſe as rotten wood, Iob 41.27. The arrow cannot make him flie, ſlingſtones are turned with him into ſtubble, and he laugheth at the ſhaking of a ſpeare.
Object. But they ſay, becauſe the Angels aſſume bodies upon them; therefore bodily things may affect them, and pleaſe them, or diſpleaſe them.
Anſw. The bodies which they tooke upon them were not the bodies of fleſh and blood, as ours are. Luk 24. a Spirit hath not fleſh and bones, Epheſ. 6.12. Wee wreſtle not againſt fleſh and blood, but againſt principalities and powers: when the ſpirits aſſumed bodies they were but Aeriall bodies, they could neither bee drowned, burned, nor hurt, they were onelyonly diſſolved againe into the Element; No bodily thing could hurt them: when the Seraphin tooke a coale from the Altar with a paire of tongs, the Seraphin did not this for feare of burning Eſay 6. But onelyonly to ſhew that he would uſe the ordinary meanes which were appointed for the Altar, when he tooke the coale from it: So the Angell when hee appeared in a bodie to Manoah he went up in the fire, but was not burnt by it, Iudge 13.20.
No externall thing can affect the devill, as we are affected with ſuch: beauty affects not his ſight; muſicke affects not his hearing; nor odours his ſmell, for he being a ſpirit, nothing affects him but ſimilitude of manners: Therefore that is fabulous which is ſet downe in Tobit 6.14. That the devill was in love with S…ah for her beauty; he loved her not for the gifts of her mind, for then he ſhould have loved them beſt who exceede moſt in graces; but he hated Chriſt above all others: Therefore he doth not love any for the graces of their minde, but hates them more: when the devill beholds the goodneſſe of the creatures, as their beauty, comelineſſe, honeſty, &c. although in the generall hee ſee them to be good; yet he is ſo carried with his habituall malice, that he cannot like the good that is in any creature; And even as theſe wretches, who make themſelves away, have a generall liking of their life by the very inſtinct of nature; yet through griefe and deſpaire they put often hands on themſelves: ſo the habituall malice of the devils ſuffers them not to like any good that is in the creature.The counterfeit weapons in the Chriſtian Church.
So the Chriſtian Church uſeth falſe meanes to expell the devils, as the Church of Rome uſeth ſalt, ſpittle, holy water, and conſecrate oyle; the primitive Church firſt uſed this oyle in working of miracles, then the fathers afterward uſed it by imitation; and laſt the Papiſts uſe it as viaticum to further them to heaven.
So they uſe exorciſing of devils, Chriſt himſelfe caſt out devils by the power of the ſpirit, and ſo he left this power of exorciſing for a while in the Church, for the eſtabliſhing of the Goſpell when it was new planted; he doth otherwayes in conſtituenda eccleſia, than hee doth in constituta eccleſia: And even as a Gardiner when he removes a tree out of one ground to another, he ſets ſo many ſtayes to it to hold it up, and he powres water againſt the roote of it daily, but when it hath once taken roote, hee pulls away the ſtayes from it, and leaves it to the ordinary courſe of growing, as other trees; So the Lord beſtoweth at the firſt in the infancie of the Church theſe miracles, as ſtayes to confirme, and uphold l…er; but now when ſhee is ſetled, he takes away theſe helpes, and makes her to grow by the ordinary courſe of grace; and if theſe miracles ſhould have indured ſtill in the Church, of extraordinary things they ſhould have become ordinary and nothing regarded.
In the Primitive Church theſe gifts laſted for a while; but now to uſe this exorciſing in the Church, is to uſe that which is out of date, and it is now but a carnall weapon which Satan cares not for; Vrim and Thummim were two precious ſtones ſet in the breaſt plate of Aaron, by the which hee anſwered the people when hee asked him of matters doubtfull; theſe two ſtones were not in the ſecond temple; now if the prieſt ſhould have put in two counterfeit ſtones in the breaſt plate, and had given his anſwers to the people By them (when as the Lord anſwered not by Vrim and Thummim) would he not have beene holden for a deceiver? So he who profeſſes himſelfe now to be an exorciſt, when as the gift ceaſeth in the Church now, hee is to be accounted an impoſter and deceiver.
There were three ſorts of gifts beſtowed upon the Church; ſome ſimply neceſſary, as the Word and Sacraments: ſome were neceſſary for her in ſtatu legali, when ſhe was under the rudiments of the Law, which are not neceſſary now under the Goſpell, as the ceremonies of the Law: Thirdly ſome gifts were beſtowed upon the Church in the infancie of the Goſpel, ſuch as were the gift of tongues, of healing, and of exorciſing, and theſe now are aboliſhed. The matter may be illuſtrate by this compariſon: The Prince when hee is a child, he hath a tutor to teach him, and a regent or adminiſtrator to rule and governe him, and thirdly, hee hath his counſellers, but when he comes to majority, he hath no maſter any more; he hath not a regent or adminiſtrator any more,Exoreiſmus fuit apud …udae osante Chriſti ad ventum ſed poſtea una cum religione deſiit apud ipſos & tranſlata eſt, ad eccleſiam Chriſti, Act. 19. but onelyonly his counſellers who abides with him: So the Church in her infancie, was under Moſes law, as under … pedagogue: And when the Goſpel was firſt planted, the Church had theſe extraordinary gifts, as a time for a regent or adminiſtrator; but ſhe hath the Word and Sacraments to remaine with her as her counſellers perpetually.The true meanes to reſiſt Satan.
The true meanes to reſiſt Satan, are; firſt, the ſhield of faith, Epheſ. 6.16. Above all taking the ſhield of faith, whereby ye ſhall be able to quench all the fierie darts of the wicked; where the Apoſtle alludes to the cuſtome of old, for when they dipped the heads of their arrowes in poyſon, and ſhot them at their enemies, they fired their fleſh: So Satans tentations are fiery darts, and the ſhield of faith is ſaid to quench them. The ſouldiers of old had their ſhields made of raw neates leather, (as Polibius teſtifies, and Vigetius writing de re militari) and when the fiery darts lighted upon them, they were preſently quenched; ſo theſe fierie tentations of the devill, when they hit the ſhield of faith, they are preſently quenched, & abiunt in ſpicas, Pſa.
The next true meanes for the caſting out of the devill, is prayer and faſting, Mat. 7.21. This kinde of devill is not caſt out but by prayer and fasting.
Faſting and prayer are two excellent meanes to baniſh Satan; therefore it is that the Lord alloweth the husband and the wife for a time to goe aſunder, that they may give themſelves to faſting and prayer, and then come together againe, that Satan tempt them not to incontinencie; and the Lord (Ioel 2.16. wills the bridegroome and the bride to goe forth of their bed-chamber to ſanctifie a faſt.
Queſt. How did Chriſt, Math. Chap. 9. ver. 14. take the defence of his diſciples when they faſted not, as the Phariſees and Iohns diſciples did, ſeeing faſting is ſuch an excellent meane for to baniſh Satan? How excuſeth hee them for intermitting this dutie?
Anſw. Chriſt takes the defence of his diſciples here, becauſe it was not time for them to faſt, ſo long as the bridegroome was with them; but elſewhere he reproves them for not faſting. It is a good rule of the Schoolemen, that affirmativa ligant ſemper, ſed non ad ſemper, that is, affirmative precepts bind us; but not alwayes and at all times. The Lord commands them to faſt; but not when the bridegroome was with them, See Nehe. 8.10.
Paul prayed thrice againſt the temptations of Satan, and Chriſt blamed his diſciples becauſe they had not joyned faſting and prayer together to caſt out the devill; and where it is ſaid, that the Phariſees and Iohns diſciples faſted, but not Chriſts diſciples; the meaning is, they faſted not uſually as Iohns diſciples and the Phariſees did, but yet they faſted.
The third weapon to beate the devill, is the ſword of the ſpirit, Epheſ. 6.16. take the ſword of the ſpirit, which is the word of God, Cant. 2.8. It is called the ſword of the ſpirit, becauſe it is directed immediately by the ſpirit, and becauſe this ſword pierceth to the heart.
This ſword differeth from the magiſtrates ſword; this ſword proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord, Rev. 1.10. and it is called the rod of his mouth, Eſay 11. but the magiſtrate carries his ſword onelyonly in his hand.
Thirdly, this ſword is called foreign and foreign, a two edged ſword, it can both kill and ſave: The Magiſtrates ſword can onelyonly kill, but never quicken to reſtore a man to life; Sauls ſword never returned emptie from the bloud of the ſlaine, 2 Sam. 1.20. It alwayes killed, but it could never quicken, but this ſword can doe both; therefore it hath not beene unfitly compared to the bitter waters; when the woman that was guiltie of adulterie dranke them, her thigh rotted, and ſhe died; but if ſhee had beene an honeſt woman, then having dranke of theſe bitter waters, ſhe conceived, and brought forth a child; ſo this ſword both killeth and quickneth.
This ſword divides betwixt the ſoule and the ſpirit; but the Magiſtrates ſword divides onelyonly the head from the body.
This ſword is of greateſt force againſt the devils tentations; It was by this ſword that Chriſt beat Satan and all his tentations, Mat. 4. when the diſciples returned backe from the preaching of the Goſpel, then Chriſt ſaith, Luke 10.18. I ſaw Satan fall as lightning from heaven: the preaching of the Goſpel is the ſpeciall meane to make Satan fall; when David gat the ſword of Goliah in his hand, having experience of it, before he ſaid, there is no ſword like that, 1 Sam. 21.10. ſo there is no ſword like this ſword in the ſpirituall combate againſt the devill.
Queſt. What if the Lord ſhould ſuffer Satan to appeare to us in a viſible ſhape? whether might wee uſe the ſword of the word againſt him or not?
Anſw. We may not, Satan is a very ſubtill enemie, and can eaſily circumvent us; therefore wee ſhould not reaſon with him, did hee not deceive Eva in her beſt eſtate, when ſhe reaſoned with him? how ſhall wee be able then to reſiſt him: Our part onelyonly then in ſuch a caſe is this, to turne about our faces to the Lord, and weepe upon him, and deſire the Lord to rebuke him.
Object. If it be ſaid, why may wee not uſe this ſword againſt Satan, if he ſhould viſilby appeare to us, as wel as when wee are commanded to uſe it againſt his tentations?
Anſw. His tentations are not ſo ſubtill when hee tempts us, as when hee appeares viſibly to us face to face; for his tentations are mixed with our corruptions, which are not as ſubtill as Satan himſelfe is, and therefore it is eaſier to reſiſt theſe tentations by the word, than to reſiſt Satan himſelfe.