.^fc. ■ . 
 
 « 
 
 r PRINCETON, N. J. *^ 
 
 Library of Dr. A. A. Hod^e. Presented. 
 
 Division _ 
 Section,_,, 
 Number 
 
 
//szj^ 
 
 A N 
 IMPARTIAL ENQUIRY 
 
 INTO THE CASE OF THE 
 
 GOSPEL DEMONIACKS. 
 
A N 
 IMPARTIAL ENQUIRY 
 
 INTO 
 
 The Case of the Gospel Demoniacks. 
 
 WITH 
 
 AN APPENDIX, 
 
 CONSISTING X)F 
 
 An EiTaj on Scripture Demonology. 
 By WILLIAM WORTHINGTON, D.D. 
 
 Qiiemadmodura niulta fieri noii pofTe, priurquam facta fuut, 
 jucUcantur : Ita multa cjaoque, cjute antiijultiis fai^a ; quia not 
 ea non vldimu?, neqae lutionc airequimur ; ex iis elle, tjiia: 
 fieri non potuerunt, judicamus. (^a: cene fumma infipicntia e(l. 
 
 Plin. Hlfl. Nat. lib. vii. cap. i. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for J, F. and C. Rivinotok, in St. Paul's Church" 
 
 yard; T. Payne and Son, at the Mcufe Gate; 
 
 and B. White, in Flect-llicct. 
 
 MDCf LXX V 1 I. 
 
[ ' ] 
 
 A N 
 
 IMPARTIAL ENQ^UIRY 
 
 INTO THE CASE OF 
 THE GOSPEL DEMONIACKS. 
 
 DEMONIACAL poffefTions are fo 
 frequently mentioned in the gofpel ; 
 and make fo confiderable a part of it ; and 
 the miracles wrought with regard to them 
 are fo many, and fo fignal ; and conftitute 
 fo large a proportion in the evidence of fcrip- 
 ture-miracles ; that it is of great importance 
 to the caufe of Chriflianity, to afcertain the 
 nature, both of the one, and the other ; 
 and to determine the controverfy concern- 
 ing them with precifion. 
 
 The queltion is, Whether thefe poflcffions 
 were real, or imaginary ? And whether the 
 miracles, wrought with regard to them, 
 
 B were 
 
z yln hnpart'ial Enquiry into 
 
 were real difpcfleffions of evil fpirits out of 
 the bodies of men ? or were performed 
 for the cure of fome natural diilempers, 
 under that notion ; in conformity with 
 which, and the vulgar language concerning 
 them, the diftempers, and the cure of them, 
 are defcribed, as pofTefiions, and difpoflt-f- 
 fions ? 
 
 This is a quedion of fa6ls. As fuch 
 therefore it (hould be confidered : And by 
 reducing it to this point, and divefting it 
 of all fuch confiderations as are not necef- 
 farily conne6led with it, this queflion will 
 be brought to a fliort iffue. 
 
 Fa^ls are objeds of fenfe ; than wliich 
 there is nothing we are lefs liable to be de- 
 ceived in. They are likewife the proper 
 luhje<5ls of tellimony. Teftimony concern- 
 ing facts of diflant times, and places, is 
 conveyed down by tradition and hiflory. 
 The more numerous the fads of the fame 
 kind and nature are, fo attelfed and con- 
 veved, the more they confirm and afcertain 
 each other. The more competent, credible, 
 and numerous, the v/itnefles of thofe facls 
 are ; the more they corroborate the evidence 
 they give upon the whole ; and the more 
 thev increafe the fum of it. 
 
 The 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpcl Dcmonlachs. 3 
 
 The more circumflantially the fleets are 
 related, and the more they have of particu- 
 lar incidents interwoven with tliem ; the 
 more fcope and compafs is given, for weigh- 
 ing and comparing the feveral circumftances 
 with the fadts, and with each other — the more 
 room there is given to judge and fee how 
 they all tally .together. — The lefs proba- 
 bility likewifc ofdeception there is ; and the 
 lefs room for fuipicion of Iraud, or appre- 
 henlion of error ; becaule it is more difficult: 
 to forge, or miftake facts, which are related 
 with a number of concomitant circumftances, 
 and other incidental flifls conne6led with 
 them, than to forge, or miftake, the naked 
 fads themfelves. 
 
 Fads, of which we have no data to ju<lge 
 by, but fuch as arife from teftimony — which 
 have nothing in them that Implies a contra- 
 diction — that is contrary to any known 
 laws of nature — or that can be pronounced 
 impollible — The report of fuch fads muft 
 be received on tlie credit of their own evi- 
 dence, properly attelled. 
 
 Fads, which are not objeds of fenfe, may 
 
 notwdthltanding be fufficiently attelUd and 
 
 afcertained by their ciTedj and clrcum- 
 
 ftances ; and by that means may become 
 
 B 2 ' the 
 
4 An Impartial "Enquiry into 
 
 the proper iuhjecls of our belief; as well as 
 all other revealed truths ; and many unre- 
 vcaled ones likewife. 
 
 Facts, otherwlfe ftrange and incredible in 
 themfclves, are yet to be believed, if there 
 be a fuScient weight of evidence to over- 
 coine tl'ie incredibility of them, and powers 
 fuiiicieiit to eftedl them : There being 
 many pk^enoniena in nature, the reality of 
 wliich is certain ; but which notwithftand- 
 inp wculd net have been believ^ed to be true, 
 on any evidence lefs than demonftration. 
 
 Important fa^ls, of remote antiquity, at- 
 tefled by a fufficient number of credible 
 cye-witnefTes ; recorded by a number of hif- 
 tcrinns, of the fame age ; and the hiftory 
 of them making a part of, and being inter- 
 woven with, other hiflorical narrations, of 
 gr^at importance likewife; all together 
 making an entire whole ; and this complete 
 hiftory being carefully preferved, and deli- 
 vered down, in a great number of languages, 
 and copies of each, without interruption, 
 through all fucceeding ages — fuch fa6ls, 
 tlius attefted, circumftanced, guarded, and 
 iafely conveyed down, mufl: have all the 
 requifite m.arks of hiftorical credibility, 
 wliich the nature of the thing will admit of; 
 
 5 ^^^ 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach. 5 
 
 and therefore all that can be den^anded, or 
 defined. 
 
 But moreover, If fuch facts ftand upon 
 the evidence of divhie teilimony-— If they 
 are recorded by infpired writers — they have 
 then a fanclion above all that is human ; 
 which we are not only awed to acquiefce 
 in ; but are invited to repofe our trud and 
 confidence in the truth and reality of them, 
 with a full aifu ranee of faith. 
 
 Let us now examine the narrations, 
 which we meet u'ith in the gofpels, of per- 
 fons poffelied with evil fpirits, and difpof- 
 fefled of them, by thefe criteria. 
 
 This enquiry will confid: ; 
 
 I. Of an examination into thofe flitfls 
 themfelves, tog^ether with their circum- 
 llances. 
 
 II. Into the competency of the witneiies : 
 And 
 
 III. Into the fufiiciency of the evidence. 
 Throughout the whole will be interiperfcd 
 
 remarks on what hath been advanced in 
 oppofition to the reality of thefe fn6l:s. 
 To that will be added fuch oblervations 
 as arife from the fubjccl ; together with 
 an Appendix by way of EfTay on Scripture 
 Demonology. 
 
 B 3 I. And 
 
6 j^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 I. And here it is, in the firft place, tobe 
 obferved, That thefe narrations have all 
 the appearance of narrations of" fadts — 
 That they run in the ufual fljde of hiftory, as 
 other hiflorical fadts are generally related — 
 That there is not the leaft intimation given 
 anywhere, throughout the Scriptures, that 
 they are to be underftood otherwife, than as 
 real matters of fatfl. Neither would any 
 man, of a plain underftanding, than which 
 liothing more is requiiite to judge of fa6l:s, 
 entertain the lead doubt of their reality ; 
 taking them, as he finds them in his bible ; 
 without knowing any thing of the difputes 
 raifed about them : Which affords good 
 grounds of prefumption, that they are fads 
 accordingly. 
 
 Matters of do6lrine are delivered in the 
 gofpels, as doflrine. Precepts of morality, 
 as fuch. Parables are prefaced, and re^ 
 lated, as parables. Prophecies are recited 
 in the prophetical language : And matters 
 of fa6l are, all alike, reported as fa6ts, that 
 leally happened ; and are generally received, 
 as fuch. 
 
 The fads under confideration are re- 
 lated indifferently, as they arife ; often 
 among other fa6ls ; in the fame ftyle and 
 
 manner 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach. 7 
 
 manner with them. Nor can it well be 
 conceived, how they could be recorded, as 
 fa<fls, in a more fimple, or authentick 
 manner. 
 
 Let us come to a nearer view of them. 
 Some of thefe fads are mentioned in gene- 
 ral terms. Others are particularly and 
 circumftantially related. The general ac- 
 counts of polleffions and difpofleffions occur 
 ^o often in the gofpels, that they conflitute 
 a great notoriety. As we meet with them 
 frequently, we likewife find a very diftin(ft 
 account of them. Sometimes they appear 
 feparately by themfelves ; and though at 
 other times they ftand in connexion with 
 other fa£ls ; and thofe who are pofTeffed 
 with devils, are mentioned among fuch as 
 labour under other complaints ; yet they 
 are fufficiently diflinguifhed from them : 
 Neither is there room for confounding 
 or miftaking the one, for the other. 
 
 Thus, in the firft account of this matter, 
 which we have in the goipel, it is faid, 
 ^hat they brought unto Jefus all fick people^ 
 that were taken with diverfe difeafes, aud tor- 
 merits ; and thofe 'which were poffeffed with d^- 
 ^iis ; and thofe which w^re hnatick \ and 
 1^ 4 M^ 
 
8 An Impartial 'inquiry into 
 
 thofe that had the paify ; and he healed them *. 
 Where we may oblerve, that thofe which 
 were poflefled with devils are diftinguiflied 
 from all fuch as laboured under any other 
 complaints, both before, and after ; and par- 
 ticularly from thofe that were taken with 
 torments,, mentioned next before ; and thofe 
 that were lunatick, next after : Whence it 
 appears, that all kinds of torments are not 
 afcribed to, nor defcribed by, polfeffions ; 
 though polfeflion was the caufe of many ; 
 and that all lunatick perfons are not defcribed, 
 nor rendered fuch by having evil fpirits, 
 though, I doubt not, many were. Thofe 
 therefore, among other common difeafes, 
 are to be afcribed to natural caufes. 
 
 It is alferted and maintained, «' that the 
 '* demoniacks fpoken of in the New Tefla- 
 " ment, were all either mad-men, or epi- 
 <* lepticks t'" Epilepticks and lunaticks are 
 reckoned the fame, under different names, 
 as the paroxyfms of epilepfy are often ob- 
 lerved to come on at the change of the 
 moon: But the demoniacks in the place 
 before us, were not lunaticks, or epilep- 
 
 * Matt. iv. 24. 
 
 + Eflay on the Demoniacks of the New Teftament^ 
 
 ticks 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demoniacks. 9 
 
 ticks ; becaufe thofe that were pojfejjed with 
 devils, and thofe which were lunaticks, arc 
 diftindlly mentioned; as perfons labcuring 
 under different dlforders : Nor doth it ap- 
 pear, that thefe demoniacks had any natural 
 diforder at all. 
 
 And we Ihall hereafter find demoniacks 
 mentioned without reference to any dif- 
 temper whatfoever. And, I believe, I may 
 challenge any one to point out the place, 
 where it is expreflly faid, or whence it may 
 be fairly inferred. That demoniacks, or any 
 one demoniack, had any other madnefs, or 
 epilepfy, or other complaint, than fuch as 
 appears to have been adtually caufed by the 
 pofleffion, with which they were feized. 
 They are defcribed in language peculiar to 
 their cafe ; and a particular flyle and phrafe- 
 ology is obfervcd with regard to them. 
 Heal the fick\ clea?fe the lepers-, raife the 
 dead\ cafl out devils*. This was the 
 term generally made ufe of in this refpe(9:. 
 — A term very proper for the purpofe. But 
 of what difeafe could it be properly ufed, 
 where there was no devil to be caft out ? 
 
 Madneflcs and epilepfies are never faid to 
 be caft out. In a word, I cannot find, that 
 
 * Matt. X. 8. 
 
 thofe, 
 
I Q An Impartial Rnqulry into 
 
 thofe, who were poiTeffed with devils, had 
 any other complaint, but what was caufed 
 or attended by the polTeffion ; and this alone 
 undoubtedly was more thanTufficient. 
 
 When our Saviour was warned by the 
 Pharifees of Herod's intent to kill him. Go 
 v^, fays he, and tell that fox. Behold I cajl 
 out devils^ and I do aires to-day, and to- 
 morrow ; and the third day 1 fiall be per^ 
 fe5led'^. Can it be conceived, that this 
 meifage was capable of being underdood 
 otherwife than in the plain literal fenfe of 
 the words? Or, that the terms were ambi- 
 guous, and admitted of two fenfes ? One of 
 which mud be falfe; which therefore fo 
 crafty and fubtile a man would not fail to 
 interpret them in, aqd expofe Chrift as a 
 falfe pretender. 
 
 Behold,^ fays he, / cajl out devils I He 
 dno^les out this from among; his other mira- 
 culous cures, and befpeaks the attention of 
 this wicked prince to it, as the moft bene- 
 ficial to his fubje<5ls, of all the good works, 
 for which, it feems, he meditated our 
 blefjed Lord's dedrudion. 
 
 * Luke xiii. 3?. 
 
 There 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpcl "Demoniach. 1 1 
 
 Tliere are many other general accounts 
 of our Saviour's cafting out devils*. The 
 time for working tliefe, and his other falu- 
 tary miracles, was often in the evening. 
 When even was come^ they brought unto him 
 many that were poffeffed with devils, and he 
 cafl out the fplrlts ivlth his word-f. When 
 the labour of the day was over, the people 
 had moft leifure for bringing thofe who 
 wanted relief from their feveral maladies to 
 the divine phyfician. And hence, by the 
 way, as well as from feveral other places 
 in fcripture, it appears, that the yews were 
 an iiiduftrious fet of people, and good huf- 
 bands of their time. 
 
 Our Lord did not only eje6L devils him- 
 felf ; but he delegated the fame power tp 
 others — to the twelve J ; to the feventy 
 dilciples § ; and even indifcriminatcly tp 
 believers in general ||. Than which there 
 cannot be a more convincing proof of his 
 divine power and abfolute dominion over 
 
 ^ Mark i. 3g — iii. ii.LukevI. i8. — vii. 21— -viii.a. 
 
 t Matt. viii. 16. Comp. Mark i. 32. 34. Luke iv, 
 40, 41. 
 
 X Matt. X. 1 — S. Mark iii. 15. — vi. 13. -Luke ix, i, 
 Aclsv. 16. — viii, 8. 
 
 ^ Luke X. ly. 
 
 II Markxvi. 17. 
 
 evil 
 
1 2 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 evil fpirlts. His commiffion and promife, 
 ill this refpetft, is lb full and abfolute ; and 
 the fuccefs of his difciples, in the execution 
 of it, was fnch, that they mutually corrobo- 
 rate each other. It is well kno\v"n, particu- 
 larly from the frequent appeals, which the 
 chriftian Apologifts make to it, that this 
 power continued in the church for feme 
 ages ; and was exercifed with fuch fuccefs, 
 that at length it became in a manner needlefs, 
 when there were left fcarce any objects of 
 it in chriftian countries ; and then no won- 
 der it ceafed. It appears, that limple and 
 illiterate chriftians eje£led devils, by in- 
 voking the name of Jefus, fo low down as 
 the middle of the third century *. 
 
 Thus ftand the general accounts of pof- 
 feffions and difpoflefiions in the gofpel, moft:» 
 if not all, of which I have taken notice of. 
 And thefe arc exprefled in terms, fo plain 
 and clear, fo pertinent and proper, that it 
 would be difficult to find words that would 
 be more fignificant. 
 
 There is nothing ambiguous, or doubtful 
 in them, which can afford the leaft ground 
 to fufpe6t, that the pofleffions were not real ; 
 
 * JiJiwIfiti TO Tc?»aIov -sjcKxrliifri, OrJgcn. contra Celf. 
 lib. viU p. 334. 
 
 or 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks, 1 3 
 
 or that the difpofTelTIons were not really and 
 truly efFefted : And whether they are 
 taken in their feparate, or coUeflive capaci- 
 ty ; whether, as {landing each by itfelf, or 
 as mixt with other relations ; we cannot 
 find the lead room given by them, for fup- 
 pofiiig, according to any known rules of 
 good writing, that all, or any of thefe pof- 
 lellions were only imaginary, or that they 
 had no other exigence, than a fanciful 
 one. Point out any fingle word, that looks 
 that way— that betrays any doubtful, or 
 equivocal meaning ; that is capable of fuch 
 an interpretation; or that can, by any force 
 of criticifm, be tortured into fuch a fenfe ; 
 or elfe fuffer the limple literal meaning to 
 remain undifturbed. 
 
 Perhaps it may be thought, that a gene- 
 ral view of things only lets us into a general 
 and fuperficial acquaintance with them : 
 But when we m6et with particular and cir- 
 cumftantial relations of them, we have op- 
 portunities of infpe£ling and fcrutinizing 
 them more narrowly and minutely ; and of 
 difcuffing them more thoroughly ; whereby 
 we obtain a more intimate and perfe(5t know- 
 
 ledge of them. 
 
 Great 
 
1 4 An Impartial Knquiry into 
 
 Great is truth, and more precious than 
 all things; and the opinion, or dodrine, 
 that will not bear the tell of truth ; be it ever 
 fo venerable for age or authority -, ought to 
 be facrificed to it. 
 
 Let us therefore defcend to accounts of 
 particular pofleliions ; and examine them, as 
 with candour, fo with feverity ; in order to 
 find out the true and genuine nature of 
 them ; for the difcovery of which, fome 
 new light may, now and then, be perhaps 
 ftruck out from this enquiry. 
 
 I. The firfl particular account of a de- 
 moniack, which we meet with in the gof- 
 pel, is that of a man, in the fynagogue of 
 Capernaum^ with an unclean fpirit *. St. 
 huke calls him a fpirit of an unclean de- 
 vil -f : Which is much flronger, by ufing 
 two different names, in conftru6lion with 
 each other, for the fame wicked Being ; and 
 thus more cogently evincing the reality 
 of the pofleffion. And to put it beyond 
 all doubt, the Spirit cried out with a loud 
 voice, faying. Let us alone : JVhat have ive 
 to do with thee, thou 'jefus of Nazareth ? Art 
 thou come to defiroy us F / know ibce, who 
 
 * Mark i. 23. 
 
 -{• Luke Iv. 33. This exprefiion, The fplrlis of devils, 
 is uf-d Rev, xvi. 14. 
 
 thou 
 
the Cafe of the Gojpel Demoniachs. i ^ 
 
 ibou art, the holy one of God, Now that it 
 was the evil fpirit in the man, and not the 
 man himfelf, and without any evil fpirit, 
 that cried, and prayed, and expoftuhited 
 with ChriO:, and made this confefHon to 
 him, appears from hiis fpeaking in the plu- 
 ral number ; either in the name of the man, 
 and himfelf; or rather in his own name, 
 and that of his fraternity of evil fpirits. 
 This appears more plainly frill, from our 
 Saviour's direding his difcourfe to him, 
 rebuking him, and faying. Hold thy peace, 
 and come out of him. 
 
 It will perhaps be pleaded. That the 
 
 man only fancied himfelf to be poffeiTed ; 
 
 when he talked, and raved, and perfonated 
 
 the devil in this manner. But will it not 
 
 then be necefliiry to fuppofe likewife, that 
 
 our Saviour fancied the fame thins: ; or at 
 
 lead that he humoured the poor crazy man, 
 
 and confirmed him in his opinion, which 
 
 made him fo very unhappy ? C^an this be 
 
 luppofcd? Can it be fuppofed too, that our 
 
 Lord would addrefs the man's diftemper, as 
 
 a real perion ? Would he luppofe his mad- 
 
 > nefs to articulate, a:)d talk in this manner? 
 
 Would he filence it, and order it to come 
 
 out of the man ? Surely there never was fo 
 
 bold 
 
1 6 j^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 bold and improper a figure as this ufed in 
 any language, or on any occafion. 
 
 But it doth not appear, that the man 
 was in the leaft difordered in his fenfes. 
 Neither of the evangelifts mention any 
 fuch thing ; not even, as the efFed of his 
 poiiefTion. Ail that St. Mark fays is, That 
 the Spirit tare him *, as he came out of him ; 
 which would have been an odd defcription 
 of a diftemper. But this was not attended 
 with any ill confequences, which probably 
 were prevented by our Saviour : For St. 
 Luke fays, that the devil only threw him 
 down^ when he came out of him^ and hurt 
 him not. 
 
 But if there was here no fuperior intelli- 
 gence, how came this man to be fo know- 
 ing of himfelf? Whence had he his infor- 
 mation concerning the divine nature of 
 Chrifl J and of the work he was about, for 
 the deflrudion of Satan and his kingdom ? 
 He was at that time but juft entering on 
 hisminiftry; and had but begun to preach 
 in the fynagogues of Galilee. He had fcarce 
 
 * Some tranflate, convulfed htm, as the Gr. (motpx^ 
 may very well be tranflated, and which better agrees 
 with St. Luke. See Bp. Pearcis note on the place. 
 
 called 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demon'iach. \j 
 
 called half his twelve difciples '^\ And it 
 doth not appear, that any but the Baptiji, 
 and thofe few, knew him to be the Mejfiah* 
 How came this man to know him fo well, 
 who had no call, nor any information con- 
 cerning him ; as thofe difciples had ? It is 
 not probable they thcmfelves could as yet 
 know explicitly, that he was come to de- 
 ftroy their fpiritual enemies. Whence 
 could this madman, as he is fappofed to 
 have been, have that fuperior knov/ledge ? 
 It is unconceivable, that the mere man, out 
 of his fenfes, or in them, could have had fo 
 much divine knowledge. 
 
 But^the evil fpirit, who pofTeficd him, knew 
 all this to his cod. It is but in the beo;In- 
 ning of this chapter of St. Liikey that we 
 are informed of Chrift's temptation. by the 
 devil. As he knew, or apprehended, that 
 Chrift was fent to fupprefs him, and to dc- 
 Jlroy his kingdom ; he was refolvcd to be 
 beforehand with him, and to have the ad- 
 vantage of the firft onfet. He therefore 
 boldly aflaulted him ; and perfevered in 
 carrying on the affault incefiantly for forty 
 days together. This gave him an oppor- 
 
 * Compare Matt. iv. i8. 22. Mark i. i6 — 20. And 
 John i. 35. cl ^Lqtj. 
 
 C t unity 
 
I o j^n Impartial Enquh'v into 
 
 tunity of knowing Jefus, his office, and 
 his power. He was conicious Hkewife of 
 the provocation, which he had fo lately 
 given him to exercife his power over him. 
 It was therefore very natural for him to 
 cry out, as he loudly did, and to crave his 
 mercy and forbearance. Let us alone. What 
 have we to do with thee, thou Jefus of Na^^a^ 
 reth ? j^rt thou come to dejiroy us f I know 
 thee who thou art, the Holy one of God, 
 
 What is there in this account that is 
 forced, or unnatural ? This great miracle 
 carries its own evidence with it, and com- 
 pels convidion. The whole congregation 
 was amazed, and quejlkned among themf elves, 
 faying. What a thing is this ? What new doc- 
 trine is this? that is enforced with fuch 
 power and authority, that he commandeth 
 • even the unclean fpirits, and they do obey him f 
 The prefence of an unclean ipirit is here fo 
 manifeft ; and the contrary interpretation, 
 when applied to this miracle, implies fuch 
 improbability ; that there feems not to be 
 the lead room left to doubt, which fide of 
 the queftion to take. 
 
 II. Of all the demoniacal pofleffions re- 
 corded in the New Teftament, none is fo 
 much objeded againft — none with fo much 
 
 freedom 
 
the Cdfc of the Go/pel Demon'mcks, 1 9 
 
 freedom and boldnefs, as that of the Gada- 
 rehe demoniack. Ho.v jiiftly, will appear 
 from a candid examination of the cafe, on 
 a fair (late of it ; upon which alone I wi(h 
 to reft it. 
 
 St. Matthew mentions two men poflefled 
 with devils *. Mark and Luke take notice 
 but of one f j as being probably the moft 
 outrageous. In the firil place we are told, 
 that immediately upon our Saviour's landing 
 on the coaft, there met him out of the 
 tombs a man with an unclean fpirit -, where 
 having grown quite wild, and unmanage- 
 able, he always abode, night and day, cry- 
 ing, and cutting himfelf with ftones. But 
 this man, when he faw Jefus afar off, imme* 
 dlately ran^ and worjljlpped hm, A great 
 change of behaviour this, in fuch a man ! 
 The leaft that it implies was fome particu- 
 lar acquaintance the man muft have had 
 with the perfon of Jefui ; it being an old 
 obfervation, that friends and enemies are 
 known at a diftance. But what acquain- 
 tance could this man have had with him ? 
 A man, who had long fled from the con- 
 
 ♦ Matt, viii, 28. 
 
 t Mark v, 1. Luke viii. 26. 
 
 C 3 verfe 
 
20 ^n Lnpartlal Enquiry into 
 
 verfe of men, having bad devils a long time *, 
 whom other men could not approach with 
 fafety — who had always lived in defolate places, 
 and in a country our Saviour had never be- 
 fore been in. There doth not fecm the leaft 
 probability that this man could have had 
 any knowledge of Jefus ; much lefs that he 
 fhould know him to be the Son of God ; 
 and as fuch worfhip him ; when as yet his^ 
 own difciples had fcarce arrived at fuch a 
 degree of knowledge concerning him. 
 
 I do not really know how to account for 
 this matter otherwife, than upon the fameprin- 
 ciples, on which the former cafe was folved ; 
 that this man was really and a£i:ually pof- 
 felTed by the devil ; as he is faid to have 
 been. The devil was a being of fuperior 
 intelligence ; and had a particular opportu- 
 nity of being well acquainted with Jefus ', 
 as hath been jufl now obferved -f*. Hence 
 it was, that he impelled the man to run and 
 worfhip him ; with intent, I apprehend, 
 by this aft of adoration and homage, to 
 flatter him into fome indulgence towards 
 him. 
 
 * Luke viii, 27. 
 t P. 17. 
 
 But_ 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demomachs, 2 1 
 
 But Jefus knew him likewife, notwith- 
 flanding rhat he concealed himfelf in the 
 body of the man. But inftead of givhig 
 him any countenance, he inftantly com- 
 manded him to quit polTelTion. Come out 
 of the man, thou unclean fpirit. Upon this 
 he appears to have been much diftrelTed 
 and difconcerted ; and, crying with a loud 
 voice, faid, JFhat have I to do with thee^ Je- 
 fus, thou fon of the mofi high Godf I deny 
 this to be difclaiming his authority *. It 
 is evading it, if you pleafe, had he known 
 how. This language, we have feen, was 
 ufed by the devil towards Chrift, on a for- 
 mer occafion : And it may be illuftrated 
 from a parage in the Old Teftament ; 
 where the fame form of fpeech is ufed, 
 without any difrefpedful meaning. 
 
 What have I to do with thee^ thou king of 
 Judah ? I come not againfi thee this day \ but' 
 againji the houfe wherewith I have war, faid 
 Necho king of Egypt to Jofah -f-. JVhat 
 have I to ,do with thee, Jefus, thou fon of the 
 mof high God? faid Satan to Chrijl. I do 
 not prefume to contend with thee ; or to of- 
 fer any indignity to thy perfon. . All his aim 
 
 ^■' See ElTay on demonlacks, p. 262. 
 f 2 Chron. XXXV. 21. 
 
 C 3 was, 
 
22 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 was, to plague and torment ordinary mor- 
 tals. He knew it was to no purpofe to 
 make any attempts upon the Saviour of the 
 world ; having been fo lately foiled and baf- 
 fled by him. He now was fully convinced 
 of bis fuperior power, I adjure thee, by God ; 
 I beg for God's fake, that thou torment me 
 not. It feems to have been fome relaxation 
 and relief to thefe accurfed fpirits, to ex- 
 change their infernal prifons for the bodies 
 of men ; and to be permitted to fhelter 
 themfelves in them from the divine ven^ 
 eeance. It at lead afforded them the ma- 
 iicious pleafure of making whom they pof- 
 felTed partakers of their torments ; and 
 thereby alleviating them, in fome meafqre, 
 by having others to become fliarers in 
 them. 
 
 St. Matthew relates, that the devils aflced 
 Chrift, A't thou come hither to torment us, 
 hejore the t'tme'^ ? What time is this that 
 is here referred to ? Some think it to be the 
 general judgement ; when they were to re- 
 ceive their final fentence ; and to be con- 
 figned to their eternal prifons 3 fuppofed to 
 
 <* Matt. viii. 25. 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Demoniach. 23 
 
 be the deep, or abyfs, which they befought 
 Chrift not to fend them into. 
 
 But I am rather inclined to think, that 
 the time they meant was ; when ChrifT: was 
 to take pofl'effion of his kingdom; and their 
 own to be deflroyed ; which they appre- 
 hended to be approaching; but which they 
 hoped was not to come yet-a-while ; as they 
 hitherto faw no great appearances of it. 
 
 But it was not for them to know the times 
 and the feafons. The kingdom of God 
 cometh not with obfervation. It made its 
 approaches by degrees, for the gradual dif- 
 play of his glory in this refpefl. 
 
 After having ejected many devils himfelf, 
 Chrift delegated this power, firft to his twelve 
 apoftles *; and then to the feventy difciples -j- ; 
 who, when they returned with a joyful ac- 
 count of their fucceis, Lord^ even the devils 
 are fuhjedi to us, through thy name—r-Ovw 
 Scwiour takes occafion to fay, I beheld Satan^ 
 as lightning, fall from heaven. To which he 
 adds, Behold I give you power to tread on fer- 
 pents and fcorpions, and over all the power of 
 the enemy J. This figniiies the downfall 
 
 * Luke ix. I. 
 
 •{■ Ibid. X. 1. 
 
 % Ibid. X. 17, 18, i^. 
 
 C 4 of 
 
24 -^f^ Impartial Enquiry 'mio 
 
 oi Safan^s, kingdom, which by this time was 
 
 in a great mea!ure accomplifhed. 
 
 Hence our Saviour in that time rejoiced in 
 fpirit, and declared, that all things were de- 
 liver ed to him of his Father^. And as his 
 own kingdom was to be ere6led on the ru- 
 ins of that of Satan, he commiffioned the 
 feventy to preach, That the kingdom of God 
 ivas come nip-h-f. And in alluiion to this, 
 our Saviour ehewhere dccLires, Nozv is the 
 judgment of this zvorld : Now Jloall the prince 
 of this world be cajl out "^ — caft out of his 
 kingdom ; as he, and his accurfed adbciates, 
 were at this time every day caft out of the 
 bodies of men. This, tlierefore, 1 appre- 
 hend, was the time alluded to by the devils, 
 when they alked Jefus, j^rt thou come hither 
 to torment tis before the time ? 
 
 What is moft remarkable in this cafe, 
 
 and moft ridiculed, is the legion of devils, 
 
 mentioned in it, which next demands our 
 
 - attention. This is fmgled out to be laughed 
 
 at, above all that is elfewhere faid of de- 
 
 ■ ■* Luke X. 2T, 22. 
 
 -j- Ibid. X. 9. Compare Matt. lii. 2. iv. 17. Luke 
 xxi. 31. 
 
 X Jo. xil. 31. St. 'John feldom takes notice of demoni- 
 acks. However, he ufes tiiC lame form of fpeech in thi« 
 j:ef|iecl with the ptjier evangeliib. 
 
 nioniacal 
 
the Cafe of the Gcfpel Demoniacks. 25 
 
 moniacal poflfeflions *. But, before we 
 join in the outcry, let us fee whether any 
 fatisfadlory account can be given of this 
 paffage, according to the literal fenfe ; and 
 what can be faid in fupport of it. 
 
 A very extraordiftary account, and as ex- 
 traordinary a revelation, this concerning 
 the legion certainly is, if it really be one : 
 And, as fuch, the intent of the divine wif- 
 dom in making it feems to have been this ; 
 which cannot, by any ferious Chriftian, be 
 thought unworthy of it. 
 
 To apprize mankind of the number of 
 their fpiritual enemies — to fetch a confef- 
 fion out of their own mouths of this ; and 
 likewife to (hew how dreadfully they were 
 combined againft the fons of men, — and in 
 what multitudes they could unite, and, as 
 it were, incorporate themfelves, even with- 
 in the body of one poor mortal ; — and, at 
 the fame time, to manifefl his own power 
 over them all, though ever fo numerous, 
 and ever lb formidably muftered together; 
 our Saviour takes the opportunity of alking 
 the devil his name ; as we find feveral of 
 them mentioned by name in the Scripture. 
 
 ♦ See note from Rouffeauy in the EfTay on Demo- 
 piacks, Pt 4. and p. 260. ibid. 
 
 To 
 
26 An Impartial inquiry into 
 
 To this the infernal ipirit anfwered, that 
 his name was Legion. For^ as he adds, 
 we are many. Such a number of them 
 being collefted together, feems, as if they 
 meant to make head againft the Captain of 
 our Salvation. The Devil found, that 
 himfelf alone was not a match for him, 
 and he faw with what eafe he expelled the 
 evil fpirits fmgly out of men's bodies. 
 Therefore, before he would give up the con» 
 teft, he was refolved to try what numbers 
 might do; and whether fuch a formidable 
 hoit would not intimidate him from the at- 
 tempt to difpoffefs them all together; and 
 whether they could not keep poffefiion of 
 this one man in fpite of him. 
 
 But in vain : A legion was but a poor 
 force to withfiand him, who, upon occa- 
 fion, had no lefs than twelve legions of 
 holy atigels at his command. The daf- 
 tardly crev/, therefore, defpairing, that 
 their numbers would be any protection to 
 them, and fearing to provoke him, whofe 
 power they dreaded; inftantly, and in the 
 fame breath, as it were, fell to praying. They 
 befought him much, that he would not fend them 
 out of the country *: Which feems to have 
 
 * Mark V. 10. 
 
 been 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks, 27 
 
 been a vet y wicked one, and therefore the fit- 
 ter for their abode; fome proof of which will 
 feen hereafter. Or, if he would not grant 
 them this petition, they befought him, that of 
 all things, he would not command them to go 
 into the deep^. The general opinion is. 
 That, by the deep, or abyfs, is here to 
 be underftood the bottomlefs pit of hell ; 
 whither the devils, above all things, dreaded 
 to be fent ; as it was to be the place of 
 their final doom. But I am rather inclined 
 to think, that, by the deep here, they meant 
 the fea, or lake of Gennefareth adjoining ; 
 into which they had fome apprehenfions of 
 being fentenced. This would be ridding 
 the country of them ; and their being there 
 imprifoned, without having any men's bo- 
 dies to enter, that would be fome punifh- 
 ment and mortification to them. But whe- 
 ther it was to an eternal, or a temporary 
 prifon, that thefe evil fpirits feared to be 
 fent ; rather than to be doomed to either, 
 they were willing to take up with the bodies 
 of the moft filthy animals. Therefore they 
 befeech our Lord, — If thou cajl us out, — as 
 he had before commanded the unclean 
 fpirit to come out of the man. — If thou art 
 irpfolved upon cafting us out, fuffer us to go 
 
 * Luke viii. 3r. 
 
 aivny 
 
28 J^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 away Into the herd of fwine ; which was 
 feeding at fome diftance, on the neighbour- 
 ing mountain. Thofe unclean beafts were 
 fit receptacles for thefe unclean fpirits : 
 Therefore our Saviour readily granted their 
 requeft ; and, as fuch, needed not to com- 
 mand their patting it in execution, as he is 
 reprefented to have done *. St. Matthew's 
 words are. Suffer us to go away tutothe herd 
 of fw'me. And he faid unto them^ Go : 
 Which word, as it refers to the requed, 
 furely implies no more than permiiiion. 
 St. Mark\ words are, All the devils bef ought 
 him, faying^ Send us into the fwine ^ that w€ 
 may enter into them. And forthwith Jefus 
 gave them leave, St. Luke, in like man- 
 ner, fays, They befought him, that he would 
 fuff^er them to enter into the fwine : And he 
 fuffered them. Then went the devils out of 
 ike man, and entered into the fwine f. Since 
 they were not permitted to do greater mif- 
 chief J they were content to do lefs, rather 
 than to be deprived of the power of doing 
 
 * Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 300, 
 
 f Ejicere ciiabolum ex homine, Chrifti fult a£lio; in 
 porcos, ut irent, nulla adlione Chrifti ercit opus: hoc 
 enim optabant ipfi diaboli ; et viribus nativis id ipfum 
 efEcere poterant, dum ne vi majore impedirer.tur. Non 
 ©rgo Chriftus in iiac re vim agentem exeruit; fed vim 
 impedire valtntem luftinuit. Grot, in Matt. viii. 31. 
 
 anv 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Dcmomach, 2^ 
 
 any at all. As they were no longer fuf- 
 fered to annoy men's perfons, it was fome 
 gratification to their malice to injure men in 
 their properties. 
 
 The devils, no doubt, liad a f^irther view 
 in their requefl to enter into the fwine ; 
 which was to incenfe the owners againft our 
 Saviour for their lofs of them, which 
 would be imputed to him ; and the people 
 of the country in general, for fear of the 
 like damage being done to them, were un- 
 eafy at his ftay among them, and therefore 
 prayed him to depart out of their coafis. 
 
 By this means, the devils likewife coun- 
 teradted, and hoped to defeat the good effeds 
 of this miracle upon the man, in the con- 
 verfion of the people ; by prejudicing them 
 againft the author of it, for the lofs of the 
 fwine. They were notwithftanding baffled 
 and fruftrated in all their fubtil contri- 
 vances. They made two requefts to our 
 Saviour, which were both granted ; and 
 yet brought on the evil they deprecated, and 
 plunged them into the abyfs they hoped to 
 avoid by them. Being fuffered to enter 
 the fwine, which they prayed for, they 
 were precipitated into the deep, which they 
 prayed againft. For, I take it, that the 
 drowning of the fwine was contrary to the 
 
 intentions 
 
^0 An Impartial 'Enquiry into 
 
 intentions of the unclean fpirits * ; to' 
 whom it is not afcribed ; but that it pro* 
 ceeded from the rage, which the poffeflioii 
 naturally produced in them ; the effe£l and 
 confequence of which [the devils were re- 
 ftrained from controuling, or putting a flop to. 
 So that they were caught in their own fnare, 
 and worked their own overthrow. 
 
 The inhabitants of this country feem to 
 have been an impious people ; and as they 
 were averfe to our Saviour's continuance 
 among them; fo being unworthy of his 
 prefence, he withdrew. The owners of 
 the fwine particularly were juftly puniflied 
 by the lofs of them, for feeding creatures 
 to be a fnare to the Jews; the ufe of which 
 they were forbidden by their law. And if 
 they were Jews themfelves, they were pu- 
 nifhed flill more defervedly. 
 
 Our Saviour, notwithflanding, was not de- 
 feated in the intent of the miracle. He left a 
 fpecial preacher, to proclaim the truth 
 and benefit of it ; even the man himfelf on 
 whom it was wrought. He was defirous 
 of accompanying his deliverer, and conti- 
 nuing with him ; in order, probably, to 
 
 * See EfTay on Demonlacks, p. 265. 
 
 be 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlacks. o.i 
 
 be under his prote6lIon from the evil fpirits, 
 fhould they return to molefl: hun ; as well 
 as to become his difciple. But our Lord 
 ordered him to ftav in the country; where 
 he would henceforth be in no danger ; and 
 where he would be more ufeful likevvife, in 
 making God's mercies to him more gene- 
 rally known. And he failed not to publifiy 
 through the whole city\ and all Decapolis^ 
 what great things J ejus had done for him^ 
 to the aflonifiiment of all j jind, without 
 doubt, to the converfion of many. 
 
 St. Chryfofom, who never dreamed of 
 any thing unreal in tliis cafe, aingns many 
 reafons for our Saviour's permitting the de- 
 vils to enter the fwine, the lubflance of 
 which chiefly is, " To teach mankind how 
 <* great the maUgnity of thefe wicked ty- 
 " rants," as he calls them, " is ; who are 
 ** perpetually lying in wait to deftroy — un- 
 ** der what reftraints they providentially 
 ** are ; infomuch, that they cannot enter 
 *» even the bodies of fwine, without the di- 
 *♦ vine permiffion ; — that, as they have a 
 •' greater hatred towards men, than brutes, 
 ♦* tliey would precipitate them into the like 
 ** deflrudion with that of the fwine; if 
 .** they were not over-ruled by the divine 
 
 ** pro- 
 
2t An Impartial Enquiry info 
 
 " providence : — and that Chrift's farther 
 '< intention in this miracle was, to mani- 
 " feft his own power over thofe malignant 
 " fpirits*.'* 
 
 Upon the whole, I do not fee, in this 
 narrative, any thing, which, in its hifto- 
 rlcal and literal fenfe, to a candid and un- 
 prejudced mind, is inconliflent with itfelf ; 
 or unfuitable to the feveral chara(!lers that 
 appear in it'; much lefs do I fee any thing 
 that deferves to be treated with contempt 
 and ridicule. 
 
 The affrighted fwine-herds were heralds 
 of the fa6l ; and the whole city and coun- 
 try of the Gadarenes, round about, ran to- 
 gether to become witneiTes of it. Every 
 circumflance concurs to eftablifli the noto- 
 riety as well as reality of the incident ; and 
 the finger of God is manifeft throughout the 
 whole. 
 
 It not only exhibits a moft remarkable 
 difplay of the divine powers but fpecial 
 characters of divine wifdom likewife are ' 
 to be traced in it. And it opens fuch dif- 
 coveries into the world of fpirits, as are not 
 to be met with elfewhere in holy writ. 
 
 * S. Chryfoft. Horn, in Matth. xxviii. torn. ii. - 
 p. 197. 
 
 J Let 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach. ^2 
 
 Let us now examine the cafe of the Ga- 
 ^arene dcmoniack, on the fuppofitlon of 
 his being a mere madman, and that his 
 pbfleflion was no more than an imaginary 
 one. This account hath one advantage ; 
 that there is nothing; fo extravap;ant, that a 
 perfon deprived of his reafon may not be 
 fuppofed, by the force of a wild and difor- 
 dered imagination, \.o fancy to himfelfj 
 which is an eafy way of accounting for any 
 thing, even the greatefl: abfurdities. There 
 are, notvvithftanding, in the prefent cafe, 
 many things that cannot be accounted for 
 on this hypothecs, with any degree of pro- 
 bability. 
 
 It hath been already obferved, how im- 
 probable it is, that this man, of himfelf, 
 could, in his condition, and under all the 
 circumftances of his cafe, have the leaft 
 knowledge of fefiis ; m.uch lefs probable is 
 it, that he (hould have fuch an intimate 
 knowledge of him, as he is reprefented to 
 have had, than which the higheft intelli- 
 gences could not have a greater. 
 
 This man appears to have been poffefled 
 with ftrength more than human ; for it 
 plainly furpaffed all human powers and 
 means to fubdue. Search Bec'l.im, and enquire 
 of all the faculty there, whether they ever 
 
 D knew. 
 
34 ^n Impartial Enquiry info 
 
 knew, or heard of a mere madman, that 
 could be paralleled with this? 
 
 His fancied pcffeffion is acknowledged ta 
 have been owing to a notion, which had 
 long obtained in the world, that there were 
 fuch things as real pofleffions ; and which, 
 he might have heard of. But if there never 
 had been any fuch things as real pofleffions 
 at all, how will you account for thofe no- 
 tions? 
 
 It is faid, that the do£lrine of pofTeffions, 
 be it true or falfe, was not originally founded 
 on revelation*. What was it then founded 
 upon ? Ail error fuppofes truth, which it is 
 a deviation from ; and all counterfeits mufl: 
 have realities before them to mimick and 
 copy from. There may be, and I doubt not 
 there have been, many counterfeit polVef- 
 fions : But there never would have been one 
 in the world, nor would any fuch thing, 
 ever have been thought of, if there never 
 had been any real poffeffions ; which they 
 were meant to pafs for. And, as there 
 could not be any other ground for counterfeit 
 poffeffions than real ones : fo neither could 
 
 * Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 173. The contrary to 
 thi« afiertion will be (hewn hereafter, 
 
 the. 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks, 3^ 
 
 ihe notion of poffeffions in general have 
 fprung from any other fource than that of 
 reality : Whence the truth and juftnefs of 
 that notion neceflarily follows. 
 
 But if this madman might have heard of 
 poflellions, is it likely, he would ever have 
 heard of legions of devils, crowding them- 
 felves into the body of one miin ? A man 
 muft have as (Irong an imagination as he, to 
 believe this. There are other difficulties to 
 encounter on this hypothefis. 
 
 Can the madnefs and delT:ru<5lion of the 
 fwine be accounted for from the fancy or 
 madnefs of the man? He is indeed acknow- 
 ledged to have been reflored to his right 
 mind, before this happened. But could a 
 man or two, in or out of their fenfes, force 
 two thoufand of luch perverfe animals, in 
 fpite of their keepers, headlong into the 
 fea*? This indeed is given up. Was the 
 madnefs then catching? Were the fwine in- 
 feded with the fame fancy of being pof- 
 feffed? 
 
 And would it operate upon them in ftill a 
 more fatal manner? They were feeding 
 quietly on the mountain the minute before* 
 
 * Sec Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 280, 
 
 D 2 If 
 
36 J^n Impartial Ejtquiry into 
 
 If they were not poirefled with the devils, 
 what did poffefs them, thus inftantly ta 
 rufli upon their deflru6lIon ? 
 
 I have a right to aik thefe queftions ; be- 
 caufe, if you adopt a general principle for 
 folving all difficulties, you muft carry it 
 throughout : But, if you drop it in one 
 part, and only make a partial ufe of it, 
 when it is convenient, the chain is broken, 
 and the ftory hangs but ill together. 
 
 To refolve the cataftrophe of the fwine 
 into the divine agency *, is quitting that 
 principle, and having recourfe to another. 
 The madnefs of the man was feen to be fo- 
 reign, and inadequate to the purpofe : There- 
 fore that is dropt, and a general principle is 
 adopted, which is adequate to every pur- 
 pofe, and contains an anfwer to any quef- 
 tion. The divine power undoubtedly might 
 drive the fwine mad, and precipitate them 
 into the {tA: And fb it might have driven the 
 man mad ; as his madnefs, or pofleffion, call 
 it what you will, was not without the divine 
 permiflion. But for the divine power to 
 exert itfelf for this purpofe, at that inftant 
 of time, when it is faid the devils went out 
 
 * See EfTay on Demoniacks, p. 293. 
 
 of 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlacks. 3 ^ 
 of the man, and went Into the fwine, what 
 motive could the divine wifdom have for 
 this? Was this to coiTe(fl the flilfe notions 
 of the world concerning the power of de- 
 mons ? Would it not, on the contrary, be 
 the moft effedlual means of confirming 
 them? 
 
 St. Chryfojlom draws an argument from 
 the deftruftion of the fwine, to prove, that 
 the whole of this account was that of real 
 facls, and not a fcenical reprefentatlon*. 
 
 I wifh it were coniidered, what little re- 
 gard is paid to the infpired penmen of this 
 narrative, by thofe who put this l^nfe upon 
 it. Roujfcau feoffs at their account of the 
 legion^ with much difdain : And a preacher 
 of the gofpel adopts the raillery of this un- 
 believer, and treats them no lefs difrefped:- 
 fully. 
 
 St. Mark relates, that the unclean fpirlt 
 faid, my name is legion-, for we are viany-^-, 
 Thefe, In their account, are the man's own 
 words: For they will not allow, he had, In 
 
 ''•" Iva (/,») T»; <r)ir,vnv fivai Mjx/fl-J? rx yivcy^ivx, aKKa, 3r/5-£u«. 
 
 Tiiio yivilai x.o^a.hXo'^. Chryfoft. ib. p. 19S. 
 f Mark v, g. 
 
 D 3 reality,^ 
 
38 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 reality,any unclean fpiritrTo which therefore 
 it may be faid in anfwer, that he had a lying 
 fpirit, if he had none other. For on this 
 fuppodtion he belied himfelf. But to give 
 no handle for cavilling at his, or the devil's 
 teftimony, the evangelift afterwards men- 
 tions him, on his own teftimony, as having 
 had the legion * ; though no more regard is 
 paid to the one, than to the other. And 
 St. Luke yet more diredly relates, as his 
 own teftimony, that when Jefus afked him 
 his name, he faid, Legion ; becaufe, fays 
 the evangelift, many devils were entered into 
 him t. Where we lee, that the divine 
 writer pofitively aflerts, that many devils were 
 entered into the man. The author of the 
 Eilay, on the contrary, pertinacioufly con- 
 tends, that there had not fo much as one 
 devil entered into him. Here is a down- 
 right, and palpable contradidion, I leave 
 him to his own lefiedions upon it. 
 
 I fhould be glad to know, how the fe- 
 veral evangeliits could exprefs themfelves 
 with more clearnefs and preciiion, con- 
 cerning this matter, if they meant to write 
 
 * Mark V. 15. 
 f Lake viii« 39. 
 
 true 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlach. 39^' 
 
 trae hiftory; and did not confpiie to dc- 
 ctwt the world, throughout all ages, ever 
 iince. 
 
 But, above all, how is the veneration, 
 that is due to tlie Son of God, fecured, on 
 this hypothecs? Doth it reprefent his con- 
 duit, in a manner fuitable to his divine 
 character? Did it become him to hold a 
 converfation with a mad-man? And even 
 with his very diftemper, afcribing a perfo- 
 nality to the madnefs itlelf? Would he 
 flatter the poor man's infanity ? Would he 
 confirm him in it? Would he a<5l a feigned 
 part ;^— keep up the converfation, and tempt 
 him with a queflion, that, in this view, 
 was certainly a very idle one, and of no ufe, 
 but to befpeak a mofl wild and extravas;ant 
 anfwer—- which could ferve no other pur- 
 pofe, than to beget, or countenance, in men, 
 a fuperftitious opinion'* of millionsoffpiritual 
 ''creatures walking theearthunfeen,"ifthere 
 were in reality none fuch? Would not the 
 divine phyfician rather have cured the poor 
 man, of his diflemper, if it was no more 
 than common madnefs, as he did thoufanda 
 of others, by a word's fpeaking? Nor 
 furely would he have been wanting on fuch 
 Sin occafion, to drop a hint at Icaft, that 
 P 4 might 
 
40 An Impartial Enquiry tnio 
 
 might contribute to the cure of the fuper- 
 ftitious notion of demoniacal pofleffions, if 
 it was fuch, iri all the by-flanders, as well 
 as in the man himfelf ? 
 
 *' The miracle performed npon the 
 ** fwine, we are told, was calculated to cor- 
 '« re<Sl the falfe notions concerning the 
 ** power of demons *: " But we are not told 
 how it anfwered this end. It was certainly 
 a very prepoflerous way of eradicating no- 
 tions that were " fo deeply rooted in the 
 *^ minds of men." Many commentators are 
 of opinion that it confirms thefe notions 
 more than any of the other miracles of this 
 kind ; and all unprejudiced perfons mufl 
 concur with them. 
 
 And I Ihould be glad to know, by what 
 means, in what words, and by what adlions, 
 our blefled Lord could have eftablifhed thefe 
 notions more effe6lually. Above all things, 
 why did our Saviour ufe " the fovereign word 
 *< Go 'j-' ;" Why did he exprefsly fend, and 
 even command, the unclean fpirits, iince 
 you will have it to have been fo, to go into 
 the fwine J ? Had he no meaning in this ? 
 
 ♦ Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 299. 
 f Ibid. p. 301. 
 X Ibid. p. 293, 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demomach, 41 
 
 Did he indeed mean the direct contrary ? 
 He meant undoubtedly, to demonftratc the 
 exiflence of thefe evil fpirits, together with 
 the immenfe number of them. He meant, 
 in this peculiar manner, by which the evil 
 fpirits went out of the man, and entered into 
 the fwine, to convince all that are not har- 
 dened againfl convi6lion, that this could not 
 proceed from inert matter ; but that thefe 
 muft have been a<5live intelligent beings en* 
 dowed ' with this loco-motive power. And 
 as it was pride that caft thefe accurfed fpirits 
 out of heaven, he went farther, by this fpe- 
 cial debafement of them, to mortify this in- 
 veterate pride of their nature, than they had 
 ever fuffered before. 
 
 In a word, if you fay there were no de- 
 vils here; you may as well fay, there were 
 no fwine. 
 
 Before I quitt this cafe, I would obferve, 
 that I cannot difcover any infanity in either 
 of thefe demoniacks ; but what, in the lan- 
 guage of the faculty, was fymptomatical ; 
 and folely effedied by the devils that pof- 
 (efled them. The firfl thing faid of them 
 by St. Matthew is, that there met Jefus, not 
 two madmen, but two men pojfejfed with de- 
 vils. 
 
42 An Impartial Eriqutry into 
 
 'vih *. St. Mark prefaces his account with 
 faying, that there immediately met him out of 
 the tombs a man with an unclean fpirit -f-. 
 Luke fays, he had devils a long time J. Then 
 follow, in all. the three, their feveral accounts 
 pf the diforder, with all the violent parox- 
 yfms of it ; which therefore is naturally to 
 be attributed to the pofleffion, as the fore- 
 pientioned caufe of it. Hence all their 
 outrages agaii)ft themfelves and others. And 
 hence it is faid of the principal of them, 
 that as foon as the devils had been caft 
 put of him, the man came to himfelf ; and 
 was feen fitting at the feet of Jefus, cloathedy 
 and in his right mind. The caufe being re- 
 moved, the efFe6t ceafed ofcourfe. Audit 
 remains to be proved, that any of the goi- 
 pel-demoniacks were originally maniacks; 
 and that their infanity, or the other difeafes 
 tinder which they laboured, proceeded mertjy 
 from natural caufes. 
 
 It is farther to be obferved ; that this de- 
 moniack was driven by the devil into tl)e 
 wildernefs §. This is in chapder. The 
 
 * Matt. vili. 28. 
 f Mark V. 2. 
 :J: Lukeviii. 27. 
 § Ibid. viii. 29. 
 
 wildernefs 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks, 43 
 
 wildernefs was the place into which he 
 drave Chrift * ; and In which, for the pri- 
 vacy of it, he chofe to conflidt with him. 
 •The man's conftant abode was in the moun- 
 tains and tombs, as being folltary and un- 
 clean places, fit habitation for unclean fpi- 
 rits : And being likewife removed from the 
 refort of men, they were more convenient 
 for the devils to pra<ftife their hellifh malice, 
 unobfcrved, upon this poor creature. But 
 I do not know, that common madmen are 
 obferved to frequent fuch places, more than 
 others. If this man only laboured under 
 
 * Mark i. j2. The apoftle's words are, Jnd imme- 
 diately the fpirit dr'tveth htm into the wildernefs, I am in- 
 clined to think, that this was the evil fpirit ; and our 
 tranflators feem to think fo too. They ufe the fame 
 cxpieflion in both places j and the original words ia 
 both places fcem to have a near affinity to each other. 
 The idea oi driving founds fomcthing harfh, and as fuch, 
 feems more applicable to the evil fpirit than to the gentle 
 fpirit of Godj by whom Jefus was only led into the wilder- 
 nefs. Matt. iv. I. Luke iv, i. And why might not the 
 evil fpirit, when he found that was to be the place 
 in which our Saviour was to be expofed to his temp- 
 tations, and which he faw to be fo favourable for the 
 purpofe, immediately ftrike-in with the defign ; and, 
 out of eagerncfs to carry it into execution, add force to 
 gentlenefs, and hurry him on to the fccne of adion ? 
 The term wvEufxa is general, and common to both good 
 and bad fpirits. 
 
 feme 
 
44 -^'^ Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 fome bodily diforders ; according to this In- 
 terpretation, if it be carried throughout, he 
 muft have had a vaft compHcation of diftem- 
 pers. If he had not a legion of devils, he 
 mull: have had other maladies and com- 
 plaints, without number. 
 
 There are not furely fix thoufand fix hun- 
 dred and fixty-fix kinds of niadneffes ; and I 
 hope the human body, diftempcred as it is, 
 is not fubjedt to fo many diflempers of all 
 kinds, as is here implied. The author of 
 the Effay on Demoniacks takes notice of 
 this objection to his hypothefis^ — *« Can one 
 <* man have a legion of difeafes * ?" But of- 
 fers nothing in anfwer to this queftion. 
 It is time to proceed to forne other cafes, 
 III. St, Matthew gives an account of a 
 dumb raan, pojjejfed with a devil, who was 
 brought to our Saviour; and when the devil 
 was cajl out, the dumb fpake-\. This dumb- 
 nefs appears to have been caufed by the 
 polleffion, and removed by the difpofiefiion, 
 when the man was reflored to the ule of 
 his fpeech. Here was no madnefs, nor epi^ 
 lepfy, nor any otiier natural diforder. Th^ 
 
 * Eflliy, p. 312. 
 
 * Matu IX. ^,2. 
 
 mul-* 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demoniacks, 4.5 
 
 multitude marveled at the greatnefs of the 
 miracle, faying, // was jiever fo feen in 
 Ifrael. Our Saviour had juil before opened 
 the eyes of two blind men; and if this 
 dumbnefs was no more than a natural fai- 
 lure, or obflrudtion in the organs of fpeech, 
 there could be nothing more wonderful in 
 this miracle, than the two foregoing ones. 
 But there was a pofleflion in this cafe, 
 which was not in the former ones. And 
 the wonder lay in the difpoffeffion, which 
 being the firft difpofleflion of the kind that 
 our Saviour ever performed; the like to it 
 might juftly be faid never to have been feen 
 in Ifrael. 
 
 There were thofe among the Jews and 
 heathens, who ufed charms and incanta- 
 tions for the cure of difcafes. There were 
 pretenders to cxorcife, and call out devils: 
 And we have grounds to believe, there were 
 fuch as fometimes fucceeded in difpcffefiing 
 them, by invoking the God of Abraham^ 
 Ifaac, and Jacob over them. They all ufed 
 certain forms, and rites, and ceremo- 
 nies, in exorcifing, which took up time; 
 the fuccefs of which was at laft doubtful ; 
 and at beft was not immediately afcer- 
 tained. 
 
 Our 
 
40 An impartial Enquiry Into 
 
 Our Saviour inftantly caft out this devil^ 
 without any formal or tedious procefs, at a 
 word's fpeaking; and with fuch circum- 
 flances, and in fiich a manner, as enforced 
 convii^ion upon all who faw the miracle, 
 the like to which they acknowledged had 
 never been feen in Ifrael. The Jewifli ex- 
 orcifts never undertook to eje(9t devils, that 
 deprived men of their fpeech. Here was a 
 miraculous cure of that kind performed. 
 The Pharifees could not deny the reality 
 of it ; but in their malice, they gave it a 
 wrong turn, and afcribed it to a finifter 
 caufe : They faidjHi? cajieth out devils ^through 
 the prmce of the devils *. 
 
 It appears from the texts already quoted 
 and referred to, that our Saviour had cafi: 
 out a number of devils before this time. 
 There was no difputing the truth of the 
 fadls : Nothing therefore was left for his 
 enemies to do, but to deftroy the credit of 
 them. For this purpofe, they racked their 
 wits for fome objedion againft thefe mi- 
 racles: But in vain. The fcene of them 
 was in Galilee, and the fame of them was 
 ipread far and wide. It had reached Jerufa- 
 
 fMatt.ix, 34* 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 47 
 /em. The Satihedrlm probably was convened, 
 and held a confultation on the occafion. 
 This learned body confided chiefly of the 
 fcribes and doctors of their law ; who hav- 
 ing at length cooked up this obje\5lion, a 
 deputation of them was fent with it to Ga- 
 rdee^ to furniih the Pharifees there with it. 
 For it may be fairly traced up to the fcribes 
 of Jerufalem ; who, it is, certain, were the 
 immediate authors of it. Thus we are in- 
 formed, that the fcribes which came down 
 from Jerufalem to Galilee', fa id, He hath 
 Beelzebub, and by the frlnee of the devils, 
 cajleth he out devils *. 
 
 They feem to have come on purpofe on 
 this errand; for it doth not appeai; they 
 had any other end for their journey. The. 
 objection is thrown out by them without 
 reference to any preceding difpofleflion ; 
 and the paflage in which it is contained,, 
 frauds alone, unconnected with what goes 
 before, and likewife with any thing that 
 follows, except our Saviour's refledions^ 
 upon it. 
 
 It feems to have beeq defigned for a.fland^ 
 ing objection, to be ready for application qu>, 
 
 * Mark iii, 3i2« 
 
 7 all 
 
49 An tmpari'ial Enquiry int'o 
 
 all future occafions. The €rfl occafibri 
 that offered was that which is recorded in 
 Matthew VL. 32. which we have been con- 
 iidering. It doth not appear that our Sai* 
 vionr was prefent at this time, when the 
 Pharifees made this obje£lion : But he had 
 lately refuted it, when firft made by the 
 Scribes, to their faces ; whence there was 
 the lefs occafion for his taking notice of it 
 again fo foon after, if he was prefent ; and 
 therefore he might well anfwer it now, 
 with the contempt which it deferved. This, 
 however, gave the Pharifees confidence to 
 urge it again, as we fhall find hereafter; 
 when our Lord found it neceffary to put a 
 ftop to their triumphing in it, and to reafon 
 them out of it, by the power of his argu- 
 ments. 
 
 It may give fome fatisfa6lion to know 
 how thefe Jewifh doctors themfelves came 
 by this curious objedion. 
 
 And to me it pretty evidently appears, that 
 it was not invefligated by them out of the 
 ftores of their own rabbinical learning ; but 
 that they found it necefTary to make a farther 
 fearch, and were at laft obhged to the hea- 
 then demonology for it. According to 
 
 which, 
 
the Cafe of the G off el Demoniacks, 49 
 
 which, whatever means were fuppofed to 
 have any efficacy, either to footh and conci- 
 liate, or elfe to drive away evil fpirits, were 
 all referred to Pluto^ who was efteemed the 
 prince of demons, on account of his fup- 
 plying charms for this purpofe*. And 
 Pluto was the fame with Beelzebub. 
 
 Here we plainly fee the notion of over- 
 ruling demons hy the prince of the demons : 
 And hence I doubt not the Scribes drew their 
 objection of cafting them out by the fame 
 power* But wherever they had it, or 
 whoever were the authors of it ; confidered 
 in itfelf, it appears to be a very ill one. The 
 futility and abfurdity of it is fufficiently ex- 
 pofed by our Saviour's reafoning, from an apt 
 comparifon to a houfe or kingdom divided 
 againft itfelf; whereby it muft neceflarily 
 work its own downfall and" dell:ru6lion. 
 This objection therefore militates againft 
 Itfelf, and proves to be 2,felo defe. 
 
 On the other hand, this advantage accrues 
 from thisobjedion, that it i? grounded upon 
 
 * Tou; TsaymfHi ^oufxova; oux fjx?) utto tcv "ZxpXTiv uVo- 
 Tr/fUO/LtEv — on roc jWf»X»rpt«la, xa< tx tJIccv a7:c]poza.ioc. zrpo; 
 rov IIKhIu^'jx yiufxi'—O 0io; Sua Ta7o (xaAifa Sxi^^o'MV ap- 
 p^av, Y.xi cv^^o>.x Si^x^ zu-pog rr,v raluv £Aa(rj^. Porph. apud 
 Eufeb. prjep, cvang. lib. iv. cap. 23, 
 
 E a fup- 
 
5© An Impartial Enquiry info 
 
 a fuppofition of the reality of Vv^hatever di{^ 
 pofleffions it is leveled again ft. For this 
 would never have been admitted, had there 
 been any the leaft flaw in it ; or the leaft 
 room to fulpecl the truth of the poffeffion 
 or difpofleffion ; which the keen malice of 
 thefe determined enemies would not fail to 
 have found out. But as this was what they 
 Gould not do ; the ftrongeil fandion is 
 hereby given to the teftimony of the other 
 eye-witnelfes of the miracle. And the 
 Pharifees themfelves condemn thofe, who 
 at this diftance of time difpute the reality 
 of it. 
 
 I (hall defer the farther confideration of 
 this obje£lion, till we come to the next cafe ; 
 under which our Saviour undertakes the 
 thorough refutation of it; and fhews the 
 great guilt of the fin which is involved in 
 
 it. 
 
 IV. St. Matthew informs us, that there 
 was brought unto Jefus one pojfejfed with a 
 devil, blind and dumb : And that he healed 
 him,, Injomuch that the blind and dumb both 
 fpake and f aw 
 
 * 
 
 * Matt. xii. 22.. 
 
 St. 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 5 1 
 
 St. Luke feprefents this miracle in fome- 
 what a different manner, wliich afcertains 
 it no lefs. j^nd he was cajling out a devil, 
 and it was dumb : And it came to pafsy when 
 the devil was gone out^ the dumb fpake, and 
 the people wondered^. 
 
 According to this account, the devil was 
 dumb himfelf, as well as the man ; and in 
 confequence of the devil's being caft our, 
 the dumb man recovered his fpeech. The 
 dumbnefs of the man was plainly caufed by 
 the devil. He was therefore juftlypunifhed 
 with a deprivation of fpeech himfelf; and 
 made to fympathize with him. 
 
 The man's dumbnefs was removed by 
 our Saviour. Not fo the devil's. He was 
 no obje£l: of his mercy. We read of fe- 
 veral devils, who fpake in thofe whom they 
 poffefledj and were filenced by Chrifl. Tliis 
 was not permitted to fpeak at all : And 
 both thefe dumb and filenced devils may 
 
 * Luke xi, 14. Some think the cvange'ifts here give 
 accounts of two different miracles, becc^ufe, they fay, 
 the order of the hiftory requires them fo to be undcr- 
 ftood. See Macknight's Harniony, preUm, obf. p. 22. I 
 am not for multiplying miracles : Bat if that be the 
 cafcjit well accounts for the few differences of di(5\ion and 
 matter which there are between the two relations. 
 
 E 2 be 
 
52 An Impartial Enquiry Into 
 
 be looked upon as typical of their oracles 
 among the heathens, and prognoftlcating 
 their being filenced and flruck dumb, 
 wherever the gofpel was preached and 
 planted ; the time for which was approach- 
 ing. They were indeed obferved to be upon 
 the decline, by the heathens themfelves, 
 for feme time before * ; having begun to 
 {brink at the dawn of the goipel ; which they 
 could not account for. 
 
 The word in the original, which we tranf- 
 late dimiby literally iignifies deaf\^ in its pri- 
 mary fenfe ; and is inclufive of being dumb 
 too, in a confequentlal acceptation ; which 
 the context here determines it to ; becaufe 
 the want of hearing is produ(51;ive of the 
 like defe<fl in fpecch, when perfons are 
 born deaf. Not otherwife. This dumb 
 man therefore was deaf likewife. And 
 hence it may be inferred, that the devil de- 
 prived him of both thefe faculties from his 
 very birth, or infancy : Which renders the 
 miracle of reftoring him to the ufe of them, 
 together with that of his eye-fight, fo much 
 the greater. 
 
 * Cic. de DIvInatlone, lib. ii» 
 ■j- Gr. xwfoj. 
 
 4 This 
 
the Cafe of the Gcfpel 'Demomach, r^ 
 This was fo fignal a miracle, that the 
 people were convinced of it, to aftonifh- 
 ment ; and juftly concluded, that the author 
 of it could be no lefs a peifon than the fon 
 of David, the promifed MeJJiah. The Pha- 
 rifees could not help feeling the fame con- 
 viction ; but were quite deftitute of the like 
 candour and ingenAiity. And, rather than 
 they would fuffer the miracle to have its 
 proper efFe<51: upon their minds, they revived 
 the former objedlion, of its having been per-* 
 formed by theaffiftance oi Beelzebub; which, 
 as it had not been taken notice of, in the 
 laft mentioned cafe, they hoped to entrench 
 themfelves fafely in it ; and flattered them- 
 felves with its being unanfwerable. 
 
 I would here beg leave to obferve, by the 
 way, that not with (landing the number and 
 malice of our Saviour's enemips, we do not 
 find the truth or reality of any one of thefe, 
 or of his other miracles, in the lead: contefted 
 by them. 
 
 But, as in the prefent cafe, this miracle 
 was afcribed to the prince of the devils ; fo 
 in the following ages, the unbelieving Jews, 
 being forced to admit the reality of his mi- 
 racles in general, could find no other way 
 to difparage them, than by ol)jc61ing, that 
 E 3 be 
 
54 -^« Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 he wrought them by art magick, which he 
 had learned in Egypt *. 
 
 To proceed. St. Luke^ in his account of 
 this miracle, relates, that while feme faid 
 he cafleth out devils through Beelzebub the 
 chief of the devils, others, tempting him, fought 
 of him afgnfrom heaven ^ ; in confirmation 
 of this fign upon earth, TYxt Scribes and 
 Pharifees, and Sadducees likewife, were very 
 importunate for ligns at every turn. But 
 if it was any particular fign which they 
 w^anted, it no where appears what that iign 
 was. There had been figns from heaven 
 at Chrifl's nativity, and at his baptifm ; 
 which probably they had heard of. Would 
 nothing elfe fatisfy them, unlefs fome of 
 thefe were repeated ; or fome fuch were 
 exhibited at every turn before their eyes ? 
 Whatever the lign was, the demand of it 
 was unreafonable, amidfl the manifold figns 
 and wonders which they daily faw. And 
 therefore cur Saviour did not think fit to 
 gratify them. But as here was a palpable 
 > fact flaring them in the face ; the truth of 
 Vvhich they durfl not deny, they had no • 
 
 * \'ide Toldos Jefcliu confat, apud Wagenfci!, 
 
 \ Luke xi, 15, 16. 
 
 other 
 
the Cafe oftht Gofpel Demonlacks, cc 
 other fhift left than to flight and depre- 
 cate it as much as they could ; and bv 
 fbme means or other to divert the attention 
 of the by-flanders from it: And hence alone, 
 I am perfuaded, it was ; that they evafively 
 demanded another lign in confirmation of 
 it ; which implied an acknowledgement of 
 its reaHty, 
 
 Our Saviour for the prefent takes no 
 notice of the perverfe demand : But proceeds 
 to anfwer the main objedion, of his calling 
 out devils through Beelzebub ; with regard 
 to which, we are informed, that he kneiv 
 their thoughts. He had heard and anfwered 
 the objedion before, as wc have feen ; by 
 which means he, of courfe, acquired this 
 knowledge, as he might have done, had he 
 not been a difcerner of thoughts, as he 
 certainly was. 
 
 His firft argument, in anfwer to the ob- 
 je6lion, hath been confidcred already. As 
 the Pharifees perfifted in it, he here adds a 
 fecond, in which he argues with them on 
 their own principles; and refutes them with 
 their own opinion. If I by Beelzebub cafl 
 QHt devils^ by whom do your fom cajl them 
 E 4 QHt f 
 
56 An Impartial E?iquiry hito 
 
 oui^'? Heftill argues on the fuppofitlon of 
 their being in reahty caft out. There were, as 
 obferved above, fome exorcifts among them- 
 felves, whom they allowed to have the power 
 of ejecfting devils. If I ejeft them by Beelze- 
 hub^ fo may they j which yet you never objec- 
 ted to them. But, if they, as you believe, do 
 it by the power of God, why may not I be 
 allowed to do as much by the fame power ? 
 Therefore Jld all they be your judges. I appeal 
 to them — to your own fons ; and am wil- 
 ling they fhould judge between us. And 
 if they condemn you, and are in their own 
 confciences convinced, that I caji out devils 
 hy the finger of God \ no doubt the kingdom of 
 God is come upon you. This is an indubitable 
 proof of the arrival of his kingdom i which 
 was now abont to overtake that faithlefs 
 generr.tion ; upon whom its judgements 
 would foon be executed. 
 
 Our Saviour continues his difcourfe, and 
 delivers a very ufefulpouit of dodlrine, con- 
 cernins: the ftren2.th of Satan, and his own 
 fuperior power, under the following very 
 lijinificant emblem. 
 
 * Luks xi. 19. 
 
 When 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 57 
 When a firong man armed keepeth his fa^ 
 lace^ his goods are in peace. But when a 
 fironger than he fall come upon him, and over- 
 come himy he taketh from him all his armour^ 
 nvherein he truftedy and divideth his fpoils *• 
 The ftrong man armed we can fuppofe to 
 be none other than the devil : Nor the 
 ftronger than he, to be any other than 
 Chrift. 
 
 The houles of the heathens, as well as 
 their bodies, were full of devils, as they 
 themfelves confefled "f-. But the houfe, or 
 palace here meant was the body of a man, 
 fuch as that the devil had poflefled, and was 
 difpoflefled of by Chrift ; a plain inftance of 
 his fuperior power over the great enemy of 
 our falvation, whom our Saviour conquered, 
 and turned out of his ufurped polfeffion; 
 and gave his followers the benefit of the 
 vi£tory, to be diftributed among them, here 
 called dividing his fpoils. 
 
 He concludes his difcourfe, by informing 
 \is, what the coiifequence of the devil's 
 
 * Luke xi. 21, 22. 
 
 t Kai oixci ^t -ST^ici {J.igo; — y.on rx (ra)p.a7a toivuv p-frx 
 CfTTo TKTwv, Porph. apud Eufeb. prcep. Evang. lib. iv, 
 »r« 23. 
 
 ca;:. 
 
 being 
 
^8 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 being cafl: out of a man, who negle£ls co- 
 operating with Chrift, to perfed the deliver- 
 ance he wrought for him, fometimes is, for 
 want of his refifting the devil, when releafed 
 from him ; and working out his own falvation 
 with fear and trembling; as it is incumbent 
 upon fuch a one to do above all others. He 
 thereby fruftrates the mercy bellowed upon 
 him. He that is not with me^ fays Chrift 
 on this occafion, is againji me% and he that 
 gathereth not with me, fcattereth. The 
 watchful enemy of mankind takes advan- 
 tage of the remiflnefs of fuch a one, and 
 finding none other fo fit for his purpofe, re- 
 turns to the empty habitation ; and not only 
 re-enters it himfelf, but takes with him /even 
 other Jpirits more wicked than himfelf, to accom- 
 pany, and dwell there with him. No won- 
 der our Lord pronounces the lafi flate of fuch 
 a man to be worfe than the firfl. A feafon- 
 able warning to all reprobate Chriftians, 
 who fall off from the grace given them. 
 
 It feems probable, that the man, out of 
 whom the devil had been now caft, ne- 
 gleded to make the proper ufe of that mer^ 
 cy, on which the unclean fpirit made a re^ 
 entry into him; whereby he fuffered that 
 4ifmal cataftrophe, which our Lord fore^ 
 
 fawj 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel "Demoniacks. 59 
 faw, and thus forewarned him of. And this 
 wretched nnan might have been a proper 
 emblem of that incorrigible generation, on 
 whom all Chrifl's endeavours for their faU 
 vation were loft : In return for which, they 
 only grew more hardened and impenitent ; 
 whereby their laft ftate likewife was worfe 
 than the firft. 
 
 But what iignifies all this difcourfe and 
 admonition about evil fpirits, if there were 
 none fuch ? and if the pofleffion was only 
 imaginary ? 
 
 If there was no devil caft out, to what 
 purpofe was the debate between our Saviour 
 and the P/janfees about it ? For what end did 
 he ufe fo many arguments, md take fuch 
 pains to reafon with them ? On this fuppo- 
 fition, his reafoning was all ideal and fpe- 
 culative ; and his do£lrine, I dread to fpea^ 
 it, was falfe and j^roundlefs. Both his rea- 
 foning and dovStrine were grounded on the 
 reality of the fadt: And if it was not real, 
 both muft fall to the ground. 
 
 In' a prudential view, would our Saviour 
 give fuch a handle to his enemies for cavil- 
 ling at him? The Pbartfees were daily ly- 
 ing in wait to catch him in his words * ; and 
 
 * Mark xii. 13. Luke xx. 20. 
 2 took 
 
6o An Impartial "Enquiry Into 
 
 took counfel how they might entangle him In his 
 talk *. Here was a fair opportunity for 
 them, if he talked of things that had no 
 real exiftenccj not only to catch hina in his 
 talk, but to expofe the falfehood of his pre- 
 tences, by aflbring the aftonifhed multi- 
 tude, that there was in truth no pofTeffion 
 in the cafe ; — that this was a vulgar error ; 
 and this man's ailment was no more than a 
 common infirmity ; though I do not know 
 how they could have brought it under the 
 heads of madnefs or epilepfy. 
 
 However, they might have charged Jefiis 
 with falfe fadls, (ham miracles, and falfe 
 do6trine, if he pretended to call: cut devils, 
 when he did not; and taught the reality of 
 poffellions, when they were only imaginary. 
 And how this charge could be refuted, on 
 this fuppofition, I know not. 
 
 Beelzebub is placed at the head of poffefiing 
 demons : And to fhake the faith of pollef- 
 fions, it was found expedient to fink his cha- 
 racter and confequence, as much as might be. 
 Beelzebub is but the Lord of files ; and what- 
 .ever power he may have over them, you are to 
 
 Matt. xxii. 15, 
 
 infer, 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlacks, 6i 
 
 infer, that fuch a poor devil can have but Httle 
 influence upon men, to enter their bodies 
 either himfelf, or by thole that are under 
 him. 
 
 Though Beelzebub is the prince of de- 
 mons, yet it is afferted, and fliffly contended 
 for, that he is not the devil. And yet he 
 is not denied to be Satan *. For Beelzebub 
 and Satan are convertible terms, and are 
 ufed as fuch ; and they are confidered as 
 the names of one and the fame perfon, 
 throughout the paffage before us, in the 
 three gofpels. We cannot therefore avoid 
 concluding them to be but two different 
 names for the fame Being. And Satan is 
 the devil's proper name. Our Saviour called 
 him by that name, when he was tempted 
 by him. Get thee hence, Satan -f-. Qei thee 
 behind me, Satan J. 
 
 And when the other Evangelifts fay, Je- 
 fus was tempted of the devil, St. Mark 
 fays, he was tempted of Satan ||. In the 
 Apocalypfe, to afcertain him beyond all 
 doubt or poffibility of evafion, as one would 
 
 * Eflay on Demonlacks, p. i6, 
 t Matt. iv. 10. 
 X Luke Iv. 8* 
 11 Mark i. 13. 
 
 think. 
 
62 An Impartial 'Enquiry Into 
 
 think, he is called the devil, and Satan, 
 more than once, together with fuch a de- 
 fcription of him as fuits no other Being in 
 the univerfe. 
 
 The term Satan is applied to the devil about 
 thirty three times in the New Teftament ; 
 about fix or feven in the Old ; in all, about 
 forty times, as his proper name : And there- 
 fore may furely be underftood to be as much 
 appropriated to him as any proper name 
 can be to any perfon. Nor is it applied to 
 any other, but once, as an appellative, to 
 Peter 'y which our Saviour applies to him, 
 by way of accommodation, as perfonating 
 his adverfary, by his ill fuggeftions. And 
 he applies the term devil, in the fame man- 
 ner, to the traitor. In the Revelation, he is 
 twice called by both thefe names together, 
 the devil and Satan, the one being exegeti- 
 cally joined to the other; and he is de- 
 fcribed in each fo particularly, as not to ad- 
 mit of any miftake, unlefs it be a wilful 
 one* The great dragon was caji out, that 
 old ferpent^ called the Devil and Satan, which 
 deceiveth the whole world. He was caJi out 
 into the earth : and his angels were cajl out 
 with him** And he laid hold on the dra- 
 
 * Rev. xii, 9. 
 
the Cafe of the G off el DemonJacks, 03 
 
 gon^ that old ferpent^ which is the Devil 
 and Satan, and bound him a thoufand 
 years *. 
 
 He and his angels being cafl: out may not 
 improbably allude to their being caft out of 
 the bodies of men, as well as to the down- 
 fall of their kingdom : and his being bound 
 a thoufand years is meant of a reflri6lion of 
 his power, in general, of every fort, both 
 in this and other refpeds. The devil hath 
 fo many denominations given him, which 
 are all charafleriftical of him, beyond all 
 doubt or difpute ; if there were not thofe 
 who will difpute the plainefl things in the 
 world. 
 
 Satan is fuppofed to have a kingdom fi 
 and accordingly is faid to have a throne if. 
 Surely all thefe inftances and circumftances 
 are characfleriftical enough of the devil ; 
 and fufficient to prove, that Beelzebub is 
 none other than the devil himfelf, under 
 that name. 
 
 ^^^/s^^w^ is the prince of the demons: and 
 the devil is the chief of the fallen angels. 
 
 f Rev. XX. 22. 
 
 * Matt. xii. '/6. Lukexi. 18. 
 • Rev. ii. 13, oTTX e dsavoj X»1vcv». 
 
 lie 
 
64 -^« Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 He is placed at the head of the principali- 
 ties and powers, and of the rulers of dark- 
 nefs of this world J. And he ^ feems to 
 have no lefs power and authority than BeeU 
 %ehub. Surely then the power is the fame, 
 the kingdom the fame, and the perfon the 
 fame, that prefides over it ; unlefs we fup- 
 pofe there are two kingdoms of darkncfs ; 
 which I hope there are not. The fubje£ls 
 of this kingdom mufl therefore be the 
 fame. And, upon the whole, I think, the 
 concludon is unavoidable, that demons and 
 fallen angels are the fame kind of Beings ; 
 and that there is no foundation in fcripture, 
 for making any diftin£lion between them: 
 On the contrary, fome proof will hereafter 
 be given from fcripture and antiquity, that 
 the demons of the gofpel are none other 
 than apoflate angels. 
 
 But there is behind matter of the moft fe- 
 rious confideration of any that hath yet oc- 
 curred. 
 
 Our Saviour pronounces -a vey heavy 
 
 judgement upon thofe, who afcribed his 
 
 miracles of cafting out devils to Beelzebub^ 
 
 the prince of the devils. He reckons their 
 
 * £phef. vi. i2» 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlacks* 65 
 fin to be no lefs than blafphemy againft the 
 Holy Ghoft, by whofe power he wrought 
 them ; and this iln he pronounces to be irre- 
 miffible. All mamier of fin and blafphemy floall 
 be forgiven ufito men j but the blafphemy 
 againfl the Holy Ghoji fhall not be forgiven 
 unto men *. 
 
 To have a right apprehenfion of the na- 
 ture and guilt of this great fin, and of the 
 relation which it bears to the fubje£t in 
 hand ; it fhould be confidcred, that the Holy 
 Ghoft viiibly defcended upon our Saviour 
 Chrift at his baptifm j — that, upon his en- 
 trance into his miniftry, before he wrought 
 any of his miracles, he publickly, in the 
 fynagogue of his own city, Nazareth^ ap- 
 plied that prophecy of Ifaiah to himfelf— 
 ne fpirit of the Lord is upon me^ becaife he 
 hath appointed me ^ among other purpofes,./o 
 preach deliverance to the captives of Satan ; and 
 to fet at liberty them that are bruifed -j-, and 
 fore vexed by evil fpirits pofleffing them. For 
 this I take to be the mofr obvious and pri- 
 mary fenfe of the words. Con{iderfarther,that 
 
 • Matt. xii. 3t, 
 
 t Luke iv. 18. IHu Ixi. 1. 
 
 £t. 
 
66 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 St. Peter appeals tQ all his hearers concern- 
 ing the word which they knezv was publ'Jhed 
 throughout all 'Judea, and began from Gali' 
 lee ; How God anointed Jefus of Nazareth 
 with the Holy Ghojl, and with potver ; who 
 went about doing good, and healing all that 
 zvere opprejfed of the devil. For God was 
 with him *. 
 
 Thefe were matters of fa6l of great noto- 
 riety — that our Saviour was baptized with 
 the Holy Ghoil — that, according to a pro- 
 phecy, which he applied to himfelf, he 
 wa? anointed with the Holy Ghoft, and fent 
 by God for many excellent purpofes; and, 
 araong; the reft, for this of delivering thofe 
 that were held in captivity by Satan's pof- 
 feliing of them — that he publickly opened 
 his commifliop. for that end— and, in confe- 
 quence of it, he alTumed to cafl out devils 
 by the fpirit of God; which was at once 
 the fulhlliiig of this prophecy, and a moil 
 fignal proof of it likewife. 
 
 Notwithflanding all this evidence, the 
 Pharifees obftinately Hiut their eyes againft 
 it J and, on the contrary, maintained, that 
 it was through Beelzebub, the prince of the 
 
 ♦ Aas X. 37, 38. 
 
 devils, 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demon'iach. ()j 
 
 devils, that Chrifl: end them out. Nay, they 
 did not flick to fay, that he had a devil him- 
 felf*. And they repeated, and perfifted in, 
 this foul calumny: 'Thou haji a devil. Say 
 *we not well, that thou art a Samaritan, and 
 hafi a devil -f- ? He hath a devil, and is 
 mad J. 
 
 Hence, I apprehend, it appears, wherein 
 the fin againft the Holy Ghoft properly 
 confifts. I. In afcrlbing the works of God 
 to the devil. Arid, 2. In the calumny of 
 
 * Jo. vii. 20. vili. CO. 
 t Jo. X. 20. 
 
 :|: Thefe have been taken for fynonymous terms, and 
 the one as being exegetical of the other, fuppofino' pof- 
 feffion to denote no more than madnefs. But, as ths 
 Author of the Eflay on Demoniacks rightly obferves, 
 *' they are not neceflarily to be undeiftood as fynonymous 
 ** terms; becaufe pofleflion may be put for the appre- 
 *' hended co/.y^, and madnefsfdrthe fuppofedefFeft."p. n-?. 
 And the malice of the Jews was fuch, that they would 
 not ftick to faften the fouleft calumny upon our 
 blefled Saviour; and to reckon him not only mad, but 
 that his madnefs was of theworft fort, even a diabolical 
 one, proceeding from the devil, which they aflerted 
 was within him. 
 
 The fidelity of the hiftorian is here remarkable, in 
 recording what might be thought the greateft difparage- 
 ment to his dear Lord and mafter, when the other evan-" 
 gelifts had omitted it; and he might eafily have fup- 
 prefled it likewife. 
 
 F 2 alledging. 
 
68 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 alledging, that the holy Jefus v/as poireffed 
 with a devil himfelf. St. Mark grounds it 
 upon this bottom alone. He that fiall blaf- 
 pheme agalnji the Holy Ghoji hath never for- 
 " givenefsy but is in danger of eternal damna-o 
 tion : becaufe they jald^ he hath an unclean 
 fpirit^. This was fiippofing, either that 
 the fpirit which he had was an unclean one, 
 and that he had none other : Or elfe, that 
 he had an unclean fpirit, together with the 
 holy Spirit of God. However it be under- 
 ftood, there could not be greater blafphemy. 
 It hath been obferved, that even the 
 charge of cafting out devils by Beelzebub 
 implied an acknowledgement, that they had 
 hti^n caft out by fome means or other. The 
 blafphemy contained in it implies it more 
 ftrongly. Our Saviour's afcribing his caft- 
 ing out of devils to the Holy Ghofl, not 
 only fuppofes his cafting of them out; but 
 points out the power by which he did it. But 
 now the denying of his caftingof them out 
 at all is a denial of the fa61:, which he af- 
 fumed to perform ; and is a virtual denial 
 of the power, by which he did perform it ; 
 and it is likewife a denial of the doctrine 
 
 « * Mark iii. 29, 30. 
 
 con- 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 6g 
 concerning the unpardonable fin, which h0 
 here builds upon it. 
 
 Its being fo unpardonable evinces the 
 reality of the ejection, beyond all con- 
 tradidion. For, if there were no evil 
 fpirits ejected, why (hould this be a fin of 
 fo deep a dye ? Upon what grounds could 
 it be called any fin at all ? 
 
 So again, if this miracle is to be reduced 
 to the level of other miracles, why is the 
 difparaging of it in this manner to be thus 
 diliinguilhed, and loaded with fo much 
 guilt? If all that was done, was the reftor- 
 uig of a deaf and dumb man to his hearing 
 and light, why was the traducing of this 
 miracle a more unpardonable fin, than it 
 would have been, had any other miracles, 
 which were not inferior to it, met with the 
 like treatment? The fuperior guilt of the 
 fin, as it fhews the fuperiority of the mi^ 
 racle; fo doth it more ftrongly afcertain 
 the reality of the fact. For it muft be a 
 greater miracle, to cure a deaf and dumb 
 man, and to call: out a devil too, than to cure 
 a deaf and dumb man only. 
 
 Befides, to afcribe this miracle to Bee/- 
 zebub could be no fuch great offence, if there 
 were no Beelzebub to afcribe it to : But to 
 afcribe it to him, and at the fame time to 
 
 F 3 deprive 
 
'JO j4n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 deprive the Holy Ghofl: of the honour of 
 it, made it fo exceeding finful. 
 
 In a word, either acknowledge the fa£ls, 
 that our Saviour did call: out devils ; orelfe 
 account for hi5 doctrine concerning rhe ir- 
 remifiible nature of the fin againft the Holy 
 Ghoft, which feems to be built upon thoie 
 fa6ls, in fome other manner independently 
 of them. 
 
 This, I am apt to think, was found to be 
 an unfurmountable difficulty ; and therefore 
 was never attempted. The unpardonable 
 fin is totally overlooked, though interwo- 
 ven with the miracle ; and therefore ought, 
 both on account of its connection, and of 
 its importance, to have been particularly 
 conlidered. But 1 do not recoiled: to have 
 feen any mention made of the fin, or of 
 the Holy Ghoft, throughout this perfor- 
 mance. 
 
 The divinity of the Holy Ghofi, and even 
 his perfonality, is denied, I do not fay by 
 this writer, but by others of his princi- 
 ples: But we need not go any farther than 
 the pafli'agc before us fo]i the proof of both. 
 For if he can be offended, he muft be a 
 perfon ; and he mufl be a divine perfon, to 
 be offended fo grievoully : He muft be very 
 
 God, 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniachs, 7 1 
 
 God, If he were not fuch, the fin of blaf- 
 pheming him could not be fo very great : 
 It could not be greater, than that of blaf- 
 phemlng our Lord Chrift j whom we be- 
 lieve to be very God likewife. We (hould 
 beware of all approaches to this fui, as we 
 tender our own falvation. 
 
 There is no one in thefe days, that can be 
 fo impious, as to attribute the works of 
 God to the devil : But the fpirit of grace 
 may otherwife be done defplte to. 
 
 The Son of God, who is all forgivenefs, 
 hath declared, that whofoever fpeaketh a word 
 again ji hlmfef^ it fall be forgiven him * ; 
 and to mitigate the offence, he here 
 calls himfelf the Son of Man. Every 
 true difciple of his will, notwithftand- 
 ing, be very cautious of incurring it. It 
 ihould therefore be ferioufly confidered, 
 whether tlie fpeaking of a word againft his 
 calling out devils by the Spirit of God, be 
 not fpeaking againfl: him, and that Divine 
 Spirit too. 
 
 To his own mader every man ftand 
 or falleth. But there is a fin not unto death ^ 
 which ifijcefee a brother commit^ we are re- 
 
 * Matt. xii. 32, 
 
 F 4 quirecj 
 
7^ An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 quired to pray for him *. If any brother 
 be guilty of this fin, he hath my mofl earn 
 neil prayers to God, that It may not be im- 
 puted to him, nor ever rife up in judgement 
 againil: him. 
 
 V. Let ns proceed to another inftance. 
 When our Saviour defcended from the; 
 mount, after his transfiguration ; a man 
 brought him his only child, whom St. Mat- 
 thew calls a lunatick : But his lunacy ap- 
 pears to have been the effe£l of a diaboli- 
 cal poffeffion. For when our Saviour caft 
 out the devil, the child was cured from 
 that very hour t. Lunacy is a diiiemper, 
 fo called, from its periodical returns, in 
 which it is fuppofed to be Influenced by the 
 moon. This child is therefore faid to have 
 been avixt^from that very hour^ to indicate a 
 cure fo perfect, that he never afterwards had 
 any returns of his diforder at all; puifuant to 
 Chrift's charge, Come out of him ^ and enter no 
 more into him\. According to St. Marlzs ac- 
 count, the youth's father called this a dumb 
 fpirit^ which he had oj a child.. Our Saviour 
 calls it a dumb and deaffpirit. Whence itap- 
 
 * I Jo. V. 1 6. 
 f Matt. xvii. 14. 
 X Mark ix. 14.. 
 
 pears, 
 
ihe Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks, 7^ 
 
 pears, that his dumbnefs proceeded from his 
 deafnefs ; as he was deaf froai his infancy. 
 This confirms an obfervation made above in 
 a like cafe *. 
 
 Both Mark and Luke call this a foul and 
 unclean fpirir. They all defcribe the fuf- 
 ferings of the poor young man, as being 
 very fevere, and exprefsly afcribe them to 
 this wicked fpirit. He taketh him, and tear- 
 eth him, and bruijing hint, hardly departeth from 
 him. And it oft times hath cafl him into the fire y 
 and into the ivaters, to deflroy him ; and tare, 
 or rather convulfed, him, and rent him fore 
 in our Lord's prefence \. When the fpirit 
 came out of him, the young man was as one 
 dead, infomuch, that many faid he was dead. 
 It had taken fuch ftrong hold of him, that 
 the difciples could not caft him out ; though 
 it doth not appear they ever had failed be- 
 fore. It was a fpirit, it feems, of a particu- 
 lar kind, and fo obftinate, as not to be ex- 
 pelled, but by prayer and faftlng ; fome In- 
 tcnfenefs and feverity of devotion and mor- 
 tification being requifite for the purpofe. 
 
 * See p. 52. 
 
 f Mark ix. 22. Luke ix. 39. 42. 
 
 Our 
 
^4 i^f^ Impartial Enquiry info 
 
 Our Saviour had jud then been at his 
 devotions on the mount ; which undoubt- 
 edly were accompanied with faflit^^ ; when 
 forefeeing this great obje6l of his mercy 
 would be prefented to him, he particularly 
 prayed the Father for power to relieve him. 
 It appears farther, that an extraordinary 
 faith was alfo requifite for cafting out this 
 kind of fpirit ; as our Lord upbraided his 
 difciples for their want of it on this occa- 
 fion. This likewife, as is generally the cafe, 
 was attended with a negleft of their devo- 
 tional duties, during his abfence from them. 
 The ill fuccefs of the difciples had made 
 the voung man's father almoft defpair of 
 Chrifl's power to relieve him. Ij thm canjl 
 da any things have compajjion o.n us^ and help 
 us. 
 
 The bufy inqulfitivenefs of the Scribps, 
 on this occafion, wherein they Teem to have 
 taken advantage of our Saviour's abfence, 
 gave them an opportunity of informii:!g 
 themklves of the nature of the cafe, ajid tiie 
 reality of the pofTefiion j as well as to en- 
 quire into the pretinfions of the difciples, 
 and perhaps their Lord's likewife, to. a power 
 over evil fpirlts ; which afforded them 
 withal the malicious pleafjre of infulting the 
 
 dif- 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpcl Demoniacks. 75 
 
 difciples upon their mifcarriage. But when 
 our Lord alked them, what they were quef- 
 tioning about, they were awed Into filence. 
 There was hkewile a great concourfe of 
 people on this occafion ; who all became 
 witn^rlies of the hid ; aud were all amazed 
 at the mighty power of God. 
 
 Now here are fo many remarkable clr- 
 Gumdances in this cafe, all concurring to 
 eflablhh the truth and reality of the pof- 
 felhon, that feem to be fufficient to convince 
 the moft hardened unbeliever. 
 
 The Scribes, we fee, were iilenced, if 
 not convinced, by it. They were the learned 
 of the nation. They were fufficiently pre- 
 judiced againft our Lord, on all occaiions. 
 They were always upon the watch, and 
 foon heard of the diiciples' mifcarriage ; 
 which brought them inftantly to the place, 
 in hopes now of triumphing over them for 
 their difgrace. But even-while they lay un- 
 der it, before the devil was call out, our Sa- 
 viour "ave them a fair challenp-e to declare 
 their fcruples, if they had any. But as they 
 had not) ting to fay, either then, or after the 
 miracle had been wrought ; what llronger 
 preium[)tion can there be of the truth of 
 it? And with how ill a c;race is it now 
 
 contcded : 
 
7 6 An hnpartial Enquiry into 
 
 contefted ? Have thcle moderns better means 
 or opportunities of examining into it than 
 thofe Scribes had, who were fo well quali- 
 fied and inchned ; and had come there for 
 that ver}' purpofe ? 
 
 If the belief of thefe poffefiions was a vul- 
 gar error, this was the time, and thefe 
 the perfons, for expofmg and refuting it. 
 If the learned and unlearned were all equally 
 perfuaded of it, and were confirmed in tho 
 perfuafion, by fo many extraordinary fadls, 
 on what grounds do we now ralfe any quef- 
 tions about it ? 
 
 When the difciples alked our Saviour pri- 
 vately, why tliey conld net caft the devil 
 out? If there had bcea no devil in the cale, 
 why did he not communicate the fecret tq 
 them in confidence ? If it was to be made a 
 fecret of to the multitude; which I do not 
 fee the leaft reafon for ; but ail the reaion in 
 the world to the contrary. Vv^eiC the dif- 
 ciples, to whom he revealed and explained 
 other myfleries, not then proper to be di- 
 vulged to the croud of his audience? Were 
 they not to be entrufted with this efotcrick 
 do6lrine ? Were they, who were gradually 
 to be led into all truth, to be confirmed in 
 this error? — A religious error, which it fo 
 7 nearly 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. yy 
 
 nearly concerned them, of all others, to be 
 undeceived in ; who were to be the fpecial 
 preachers of the gofpel of truth to the world. 
 It appears, that after the fpirit of truth 
 came, who guided them into all truth, 
 they held the ftme do£lrine ; nfed the fame 
 language concerning it ; and followed the 
 fame practice of callmg out devils, purfuant 
 to their commiliion ; and after the example, 
 which had been fet them by their Mafler, 
 as we have feen in part already, and (hall fea 
 firther prefently. 
 
 What occafion was there for our Saviour 
 
 to fay anything about this or that kind of 
 
 devils ; if there were no devils of any kind 
 
 fo be call: out? If he thought proper to con- 
 
 form to the vulgar language, why fhould he 
 
 be fo particular in confirming the vulgar 
 
 error? If this was no more than a common 
 
 epllepfy, what was there in that diftemper, 
 
 for the cure of which fo much fading and 
 
 prayer, and fo much faith too, was requi- 
 
 fite, more than for the removing of other 
 
 diftempers ? But tliith in what ? Not furely, 
 
 that there was no devil to be caft out : But 
 
 that there really and truly was : Otherwife, 
 
 why (hould they be fo feverely reproved by 
 
 our Saviour for the want of it r Q faithlefs 
 
 and 
 
5^8 An Impartial inquiry into 
 
 and per V erf e generation I How long po all I be 
 with you ? How long Jhall I fuffer you^ f 
 But wherein lay their fault, if there was no 
 devil to be ejeded? Were they Upbraided for 
 not believing a thing to be, which never 
 had any exiftence ? 
 
 The young man's father afcribed his fon's 
 diftemper to a fpirit, which he calls a dumb 
 one. It is obferved already, that the dif- 
 ciples having failed to caft him out, had 
 made the man rather diffident of their maf* 
 ter's power to do it ; which was the reafon 
 why he did not bring his fon with him to 
 our Saviour, when he addrelicd him about 
 him. Hence Chrifl: infilled on the man's 
 faith, as well as that of the difclples ; and 
 very properly, if there was a devil to be caft 
 out : But furely not otherwife. For if 
 there v^as no devil in the cafe, he never 
 
 * Some underftand thofe words as direfted to the 
 Scribes : But though they are very applicable to them ; 
 yet as neither St. Matthew nor Luke take any notice of 
 them, in their accounts ; and thefe words notwidiftand- 
 ing occur in thefe evangellfts, as well as in St. Mark, 
 who alone makes any mention of the Scribes ; and as 
 the words are fpoken with regard to the inability of the 
 difciples, for want of faith, to caft out this foul fpirit j I 
 do not fee how they can be otherwiTe underftood than as 
 meant of them. See Macknight's Harmony in loc. fe6l. 73. 
 
 could 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demonlacks, ^c; 
 
 could have excited this acl of faith .in the 
 man ; nor given him any affu ranee con- 
 cerning it. Jf thou canfl believe, all things 
 are pojible to him that believeth. The father 
 having, with tea's, inUantly exprefied his 
 faith ; aiui befouglit Chrill to help the weak- 
 nefsof it, Jefus rebuked the evil fpirit; fay- 
 ing unto him, in the prefcnce of a great 
 concourfe of people, T hou dumb and deaf fpi- 
 rit ; / charge thee to come out of him ; and en- 
 ter no more into him. Was tins language to 
 be ufed for the cure of a natural diftemper ? 
 
 I would only beg leave to oblerve fluther, 
 that the inveteracy, as well as the obfiinacy, 
 of the cafe concurred in eftabliihing the re- 
 ality of the poffeffion. For he had it from 
 a child. The difficulty of the cure con- 
 firmed it. The uncommonnefs of it made 
 it the more to be taken notice of. And the 
 abfolutenefs of the cure manife(ted the great- 
 iieis of the miracle in the difpoi^dlion. And 
 the genuine marks of truth appear through- 
 out the whole. 
 
 VI. The cafe of the Syro-phcenician wo- 
 man's daughter* is not to be pafTeJ unnoticed. 
 
 The notion of diabolical pofleffions was 
 nr^t peculiar to the Jews; nor particularly 
 
 * Matt. XV. 21, Markvi'. 25. 
 
 grounded 
 
8o An Impartial Rnqulry into ^ 
 
 grounded upon the Jewijh fcriptures. It 
 had overfpread the gentile world hkewife ; 
 and was founded upon the woeful ejtperienCe 
 of the one, as well as the other. This wo- 
 man was an inflance of it. She was 2iGreeky 
 or Gentile ', a Syro-phcnlclan, ox Cana^nlte^ by 
 nation ; whereby ihe is fufficiently diftin- 
 guiflied from the Jews ; and this is confirmed 
 by the whole converfation which pafled be- 
 tween Chrifl and her. She had notwirh- 
 ftanding heard fo much of his fame, for the 
 cure of diabolical poffeflions, that having a 
 young daughter, who had an unclean fpirit, 
 fhe came, and fell at the feet of Jefus ; and 
 befought him to cafi: forth the devil out of 
 her ; with which flie was grievoufly vexed. 
 Our Saviour at firft feemed to turn a deaf 
 ear to her ; and remonibated againft her re- 
 queft ; as ihe was not a proper obje61: of his 
 mercy ; having been fent only to the loji Jloeep 
 of the houfe of Ifrael. But at length the im- 
 portunity of the difciples ; together with 
 her own earnefl: fupplication ; the flrength 
 of her faith ; and the cogency of her rea- 
 foning, prevailed with him to grant her re- 
 queft ; though out of the ordinary rules of 
 his miffion: And he difmifled her, with this 
 comfortable alTurance ; that the devil was 
 
 gone 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demohiacks. 8 1 
 
 gone out of her daughter ; who had been 
 made whole fi-om that very hour ; as the 
 mother found to her great joy, when (lie 
 returned to her houfe. 
 
 Now is it poffible to conceive ; that all 
 this was no more than a piece of fcenery ; 
 and that there was not here any real pof- 
 feflion ; when the whole converfatlon, which 
 is very entertaining, as well as affefting, turns 
 upon the truth and reality of it ? The woman 
 came to our Saviour under a ftrong perfaalion 
 of the poiTeiiion : Did he do, or fay, any 
 thing to undeceive her ? Did not his whole 
 condu6t indicate the contrary ? He knew 
 what he meant to do from the beginning. 
 His remonfhrances were not defigned to de- 
 ft roy, or leffen, her fiith in this great point ; 
 but to heighten and increafe it. And when 
 he had worked it up to its proper pitch, he 
 difmifTed her with this teftimonv, O woman, 
 great is thy faith : Be it unto thee even as thou 
 
 ISO lit. 
 
 Faith was the general principle,, on which 
 our blelfed Lord founded his religion. 
 This confided of fcveral particulars, of 
 which that under confideration is one ; 
 namely faith in his power of working mi- 
 racles in general, and this of his calling out 
 G devil.3 
 
82 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 devils particularly. Would he, who was 
 truth itfelf, give any countenance to a falfe- 
 hood ? Would he confirm, and even heigh- 
 ten it, and that both by word and deed ? 
 The thought is impious to the laft degree. 
 
 Bleffed Lord ! How art thou crucified 
 afrefli ! How is thy word abufed ! There 
 is not a book in the world, with which fuch 
 liberties are taken. 
 
 I defire it may be obferved, that here is 
 no one diftemper mentioned, as connedled 
 with this cafe ; or that it can be relblved 
 into, more than another. 
 
 There are two or three particular cafes 
 more, which it may be proper to take notice 
 of. 
 
 VII. What think you of the cafe of Mary 
 Magdalene^ out of whom our Saviour is fald 
 to have caft feven devils * r We have feeii 
 accounts of other complicated cafes of this 
 kind; one particularly of a man who had a 
 legion of devils call: out of him. And our 
 Saviour defcrlbes the cafe of a man, out of 
 whom an unclean fpirit went, and returned 
 with feven others, to take poirefficn of him 
 again, 
 
 * Mark xvi. 9. Luke.viii, 2. 
 
 The 
 
the Cafe of i/je Gcfpel DemonJacks. 82 
 
 The laft ftate of luch a man, when the 
 unclean fpirit re-entered him, together 
 with fo many others more wicked than ' 
 himfelf, might well be faid to have been 
 worfe than the firftj when no more than 
 one had taken pofl'effion of him. 
 
 Agreeably hereto we may conclude, That 
 Mary Magdalette had been a great and enor- 
 mous {inner : But that, in confequence of 
 her having had fuch a number of devils 
 caft out of her, fhe became a fincere peni- 
 tent ; and a true convert to Chrift ; which 
 is confirmed to us by every thing we learn 
 concerning her : And fhe hath accordingly 
 been always looked upon in the church, as 
 a moft eminent example of a repenting {in- 
 ner. 
 
 But we find not a word of any diftemper, 
 much lefs of any complication of diftem- 
 pers, which fhe laboured under ; and had 
 been cured of: Any more than we do of either 
 of the above-mentioned perfonsj who,though 
 they were poflTefied with fo many evil Ipi- 
 rits, are not fuppofed to have had any bo- 
 dily diftemper, but what was caufed by 
 them. 
 
 Are we notwithftanding to conclude, that 
 
 all we read of thefe perfons is to be under- 
 
 G 3 i^ogd 
 
§4 -^^ Impartial Ejtquiry into 
 
 flood of no more than fome ill ftate of health, 
 or natural diforder ? And that the man par- 
 ticularly, who had feven devils, only 
 once recovered his health, and relapfed 
 again, and was feized with many other 
 and worfe diftempers than he had be- 
 fore? What moral inftrudion is here con- 
 veyed? Or, to what purpofe is fuch a caie 
 mentioned at all? Are we not under a ne- 
 ceffity of underftanding this of his fpiritual 
 ftate; which if thus defcribed to have been fo 
 extremely dangerous ; when he was in this 
 manner fallen into the power and poffdfTion 
 of his fpiritual enemies ? This is fuppofed 
 by fome to be emblematical of the ftate of 
 the reprobate Jezvs, of whom Satan took 
 more durable pofleffion ; and rendered them 
 feven times more the children of hell than 
 they were before *. 
 
 But that even fuch a cafe is not quite def- 
 perate, beyond a poflibility of recovery, the 
 merciful J ejus hath given us an adlual proof, 
 that he hath in fa6l refcued a poor linner 
 out of the jaws of thofe direful fiends, and 
 taken her under his own banner and pro- 
 tection ; from thenceforth to keep herhoufe, 
 not empty, or deftitute of divine grace and 
 fupport; but fwept from all filthy lufts ; and 
 
 * See Wliitby on Luke xi. 26, 
 
 garniihed 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demon} acks. 85 
 
 garnifhed with the graces of the holy fni- 
 rit : Wherehy (lie (hould be enabled to 
 withftand, and triumph over all tlie efforts 
 of her Ipirituai enemies. 
 
 The turn that is giv^en to this account of 
 Mary Magdalene s having feven devils is, tliat 
 Ihe was a difracled woman^. And from 
 whom is this reprefentation of her cafe 
 taken ; but from one of the bitterefl ene- 
 mies which chriilianity ever had? Celfwi 
 calls her yvvvi "srocooig-oog t * And this is 
 thought fufficient to dilcredit the plain gof- 
 pel account of her cafe; which it hath no 
 more relation to, than any other diforder 
 that might occur to the infamous flander- 
 ei's imagination. But I am truly grieved 
 to find this calumny catched up, and fiift- 
 ned upon her by a minifter of Chrijl. Ori- 
 
 * EfTay on Demoniacks, p. 105. 
 
 -j- The whole fentcnce is Tv^n z^ocon^po;, u; (pxji. 
 the literal tranflation of which is, Alulier fanatica, ut di- 
 citisy (L diflraded woman, as you fay, or as the faying is ; 
 of the fame itnport with cJ,' (?>ipi.:k, w; Aofo?, w,- stts?, w'v 
 £7ro5 tiTTHv. I will not deny but thit Celfus might intend 
 to inilnuate, by this mode of expreflion, as his tranflator 
 underflands him, that the chriftians acknowledged, the 
 woman was diflurbed in her fenfesj but he durft nc-t 
 charge them plainly with it, as it app-.-ars he had no 
 foundsticn for it. Origen contra Celfum, lib. ii. p. 96. 
 G 3 gai, 
 
86 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 getty he might have {etn, if be had read a 
 little farther, is at a lofs to find whence Cel- 
 fus got any handle for the flander ; there 
 being, as he fays, no foundation for it in the. 
 gofpel biftory : Nor did h.e know of anv 
 fuch tradition about her; otherwife he would 
 not have failed to take notice of it» 
 
 But if, in the cafe before us, it could be 
 fuppofed that St. Liihe, in the courfe of his 
 hillory, might think fit to fay, in confor- 
 mity to the vulgar notion, that feven devils 
 went out of her, when (he had not fo much 
 as one in her ; what need had St. Mark to go 
 fo far cut of his way, on an occafion which 
 did not feem to require it, as to fiiy that Je- 
 Jus had cad: {^'^tw devils out of her ? For he 
 introduces it in a kind of parenthefis ; and 
 the fenfe had been complete without 
 it. But he wrote, as he thought ; and as 
 the evangelifts, and all other honefl hif- 
 torians, mud be fuppofed to do. 
 
 And the reafon why he recorded the fa6t 
 in this place, at the clofe of his gofpej, 
 fcems to have been, becaufe he had omitted 
 to do it in the courfe of the hl<lory : Other- 
 wife the bare mention of her name here 
 had been fufficien^ to alccitain her perfon, 
 
 without 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demoniacks. 87 
 
 without the addition of that circum- 
 flance. 
 
 But when it Is moreover faid, that Chrlll 
 dlftinguilhed that woman, out of whom he 
 had caft feven devils, by appearing firft to 
 her * after his refurredllon — when he talked, 
 and revealed himfelf to her, and honoured 
 her with the fpecial truft of conveying the 
 firft news of his refurredion to his other 
 difciples; and the firft notice likewlfe of his 
 intended afcenfion -f* ; — All this indicates 
 much confidence, as well as great appro- 
 bation of her whole chara61:er and behavi- 
 our, fince her converfion ; fultably to that 
 of a (incere penitent, as flie hath always 
 been efteemed. 
 
 But if we only look upon her in the light 
 of a mad woman, cured by the charity of 
 Chri/i ; what merit could this be In her ? 
 Nor could her fubfequent behaviour; were 
 it ever fo good and grateful for fuch a mer- 
 cy, be paralleled with that of a repenting 
 fuiner ; for whom there is fo much joy in 
 heaven. 
 
 But above all things ; had this woman 
 ever been difturbed in her fenfes, Chri/i 
 
 * Mark xvi. 9. 
 I Jo. XX. I 1 — 18. 
 
 G 4 would 
 
8S An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 would never have pitched upon her, of all 
 others, to cany the tidings of his refur^ 
 redioii to the apoftles ; left they fhould fuf- 
 pedl fhe had returned to one of her raving 
 fits ; fince as it was, when Ihe, with feveral 
 other women, who never were under any 
 iuch imputation, tcld them iheje thrngs ; 
 their words feemed to them as idle taks ; and 
 they believed them not *. 
 
 Enough hath been faid to vindicate this 
 woman's character from the aij^erfion of 
 Celfiis. I am forry any chriftian Ihould 
 give occaiion for it. 
 
 VIII. There is a cafe of another woman, 
 which is not foreign to this inquiry : I 
 mean tiiat of the woman, who was bowed 
 together with a fpirit of infirmity eighteen 
 years, in fuch a manner, that fie could in no 
 *w if e lift tip herfelf -f. Upon whom our 
 Saviour laid his hands, and immediately 
 fhe was madejiraight, and glorified God. 
 
 It might be pleaded, that this was no 
 more thui an infirmity, which proceeded 
 from feme natural caufe ; had not our Sa- 
 viour liimfelf exprefsly afcribed it to Satan. 
 Ought not this woman, being a daughter of 
 
 * Luke xxiv. lo, 1 1. 
 'j- Ibid. xjii. 1 i. 
 
 j^hraham^ 
 
the Cafe of the Go [pel Demoniach, 89 
 
 Abraham, whom Satan hath bounds lo, thefe 
 eighteen years, be loo fed from this bond on the 
 ■ Sabbath day? This fpirit of infirmity, 
 therefore, was an evil fpirit, which cauled 
 it : And that no inferior demon, but Satan 
 himfelf, who thus bowed her together ; and 
 kept her under this unmerciful bondage 
 fo long, till Chrifi, in his mercy, inftantly 
 relcafed her from it. The poor woman 
 was fo lenfible of the benefit ; that (he glori- 
 fied God for it. 
 
 But the ruler of the fynagogue took 
 fuch offence, thatChrift fhoulddo this on the 
 Sabbath, that his indignation was raifed at 
 it — an indignation inflignted by envy; 
 for which our Saviour reprimanded the 
 hypocrite fo feverely, that he, and all our 
 Lord's adverfiiries were alhamed: When 
 all the people, who were under no preju- 
 dice againfl him, rejoiced for all the glorious 
 things that were done by him. 
 
 This cafe, in flridlnefs of fpeech, cannot 
 perhaps be called a pofTeflion, fo properly 
 as an obfefTion : But this w^s fo conflant 
 and cruel an obfcifion, as to be little inferior 
 to a poffeilion ; and was a flanding proof 
 of its ovvq reality, 
 
 It 
 
9 o ^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 It hath been well obferved ; " That fome- 
 times by concurring with, and fometimes 
 *' without, natural caufes, many difeafes 
 " were, by divine permiffion, brought on, 
 " even by evil fpirits i which the gofpel, 
 " and the hiftories of Job and Saul inform 
 '« us of*.'* Whofe cafes will be confidered 
 at large hereafter. This the heathens like- 
 wife were fenfible of, and acknowledged ; 
 of which fomc proof will be given in its 
 proper place. 
 
 This woman, in her infirm condition, 
 iriay ferve as a lively emblem of man in this 
 bis flate of weaknefs and depravity ; when 
 he is under fuch fore bondage to SataUy 
 that he cannot either lift up his hand to 
 relieve hlmfelf ; nor fo much as his heart 
 to pray for relief from God: Till fuch 
 time, as he takes compaflion on him ; and 
 bids him be loofed from his infirmity; as 
 our Saviour was plealed to fay unto the 
 woman : And as, upon his fpeaking the 
 word, and laying his hand upon her, fhe 
 immediately was made ftraight, and glori- 
 fied God : So then, and not till then, can 
 pur crooked and perverfe wills be redified, 
 
 * Whitby on Luke xiii. i6. 
 
 6 fo 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 9 1 
 fo as that we may be able to lift up our 
 minds to heaven, to praife and adore our 
 Maker. 
 
 IX. I find but one other particular cafe 
 of demoniacal poileflion in the gofpel. 
 And this is a cafe of fuch importance, that 
 it (hould not by any means be omitted. It is 
 that of the traitor Judas. Of him, St. 
 Luke faith, that Satan entered into him^, 
 St. John likewife, though he takes no no- 
 tice of any other demoniacal poiTeffions, as 
 he Icldom mentions what had been recorded 
 by the other evangelifts ; yet with regard 
 to this, he lays, that Judas was, SiccQpXog, 
 a devil-f* That the devil, hoc^oXog, again, 
 had put it into his heart to betray his maf- 
 ter J. And that when Jefus had given him 
 the fop, Satan immediately entered into 
 him II : Thus fpecifying the very inftant of 
 time, when the devil himfelf took pofleffiou 
 of him. 
 
 Now here is a dire(5t proof of the devil, 
 in perfon, the chief of the fallen angels, 
 
 * Luke XX ii 3. 
 tjo. vi. 70. 
 X Chap. xiii. 2. 
 |j Chap. xiii. 27. 
 
 by 
 
9 2 An Impartial 'Enquiry info 
 
 by his acknowledged name, Sia^oXo^, and 
 not ^cctfJLtcv, entering into, and taking pof- 
 ieffion of the body of a man. For by 
 comparing thefe feveral texts together, men 
 muft be ftrongly difpofed to cavil, if they 
 will not acknowledge, that the devil and 
 Satan 2CiQ here one and the fame: And it 
 will furely be allowed, that the devil him- 
 felf entered into Judas, if he ever entered 
 into any man ; had we not been fo expreflly 
 informed of it. 
 
 This was buiinefs of fuch confequence, 
 that the devil would not entrufi: any inferior 
 wicked fpirit, or demon, with it ; and there- 
 fore he chofe to perform it him'felf in per- 
 fon. Now here is an inftance that comes 
 fully up to the cafe in point. I would 
 therefore fain know, what Ihifts can polii- 
 bly be found to evade the force of this tef- 
 timony. As here is no room to fuppofe, 
 that any other evil fpirit was concerned, but 
 the arch-rebel himfelf ; fo there feems to 
 be as little pretence for imagining, that 
 there was any thing of a dlftemper in the 
 cafe. 
 
 For, from all that Is laid about him, the 
 man appears to have, been in full health, 
 
 both 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel "DemorAacks, 93 
 
 both before, and after the tranfadlion here 
 related. And it flirther very plainly ap- 
 pears, that the devil continued in pofleffioii 
 of him, from the lall: defperate act which 
 he committed, in putting an end to his own 
 wretched life, which undoubtedly was by 
 the devil's inftigation ; as he was a mur- 
 derer from the beginning: Nor can any 
 man deny, that many, of the felf-mur- 
 ders, which, to the reproach of humanity, 
 as well as religion, are fo frequently perpe- 
 trated among us in thefe days, are not in- 
 fligated by him: Which are all unnatural, 
 and fome fo unaccountable, that they can- 
 not be imputed to any other caufe. 
 
 The nature of this cafe did not admit of 
 any difpoffcffion ; and hence the difmal con- 
 fequences of it. 
 
 I would here obferve, that, as in this 
 place, the devil and Satan appear to be the 
 fame, this is an additional proof to fjch as 
 are offered above*, that the devil, S'tan^ 
 and Beelzebub^ are but diiicrent names lor 
 this fame prince of the apollate aiigcis ; 
 which ferve the better to afcertain him, not- 
 
 -• P. 62. 
 
 withftanding 
 
94 -^^ Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 withftanding all the endeavours that have 
 been nfed to the contrary. 
 
 The devil had from the beginning coun- 
 tera<5led the proceedings of our Saviour, 
 for the defl:ru6tion of his kingdom ; and 
 to this end had afl'aulted him with his temp- 
 tations, in order to draw him into fin ; 
 whereby he would have been difabled from 
 becoming a Redeemer to mankind, as he 
 Ihould then ftand in need of redemption him- 
 felf. But, when he faw our Lord was not 
 only able to withftand, and defeat all his 
 aflauks ; but was going on conquering, and 
 to conquer ; every where difpoflefling evil 
 fpirits, and freeing men from the miferable 
 captivity, in which, by thefe his emiffa-* 
 ries, Sata?i held them ; wdiereby his power 
 over them was daily diminifhing, and his 
 kingdom falling into decay, and in danger 
 of being overthrown. — Being reduced to 
 this defperate ftate, he had ftill one refource 
 left, which, if he could fucceed in, he con- 
 eluded would be decifive ; and this was no 
 lefs, than to compafs the defl:ru£lion of this 
 his powerful adverfary; which therefore he 
 was determined to attempt. 
 
 To 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demon} ach. g^ 
 
 To this end, he found he could not nnake 
 ufe of any more probable means, than by 
 contriving to have him delivered into the 
 hands of his enemies, whom he faw thirft- 
 ing for his blood. And finding an in- 
 ftrument fit for his purpofe, ibe devil put 
 it into the heart of Judas Ifcariot to betray 
 him to them*. This, was an important 
 crifis. This was the hour, and the power of 
 darknefs. -f-. He that had the power of death 
 was the devil J. This powder he did not fail 
 to enforce on tliis occafion. To render it 
 effectual, he had the boldnefs to enter into 
 the body of one of our Lord's chief difci- 
 ples in perfon ; left the defign fhould mif- 
 carry in the hands of any Being of inferior 
 malice and abilities. 
 
 It doth not indeed appear, that any infer- 
 nal fpirit, but the devil himfelf, had the 
 power of death delegated to him. And he 
 had it no otherwife, in this cafe, than by 
 permiflion to inftigate wicked men to carry 
 it into execution. It was therefore very 
 fuitable to his whole defign, that he Should 
 literally enter into the body of the traitor, 
 for this purpofe; who having delivered his 
 
 * Jo. xiii. 2. 
 f Luke xxii. 52. 
 \ Heb. ii. 14. 
 
 Mailer 
 
g6 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 Mafter into the hands of his enemies, hi3 
 grand adverfary concluded, he (hould tri- 
 umph over the captain of our falvation in 
 the end. 
 
 But that turned our to his own deftruc- 
 tion. For Chrift, even through his own 
 death y dejiroyed him that had the -power of 
 death \ that is, the devil ; and delivered them 
 who had been all their life-time fiihje£l to his 
 bondage^, in this, and other refpe(3:s. 
 
 I have been the longer in endeavouring to 
 evince the reality of this poffeffion, and the 
 grounds of it, from its fuitablenefs to the 
 defign and interefl of the great enemy of 
 mankind. And, if we allow a real pof- 
 feflion in this cafe, the like will follow in 
 others. The purpofe of this poffeffion was 
 to inftigate a bafe wretch to a very ungrateful 
 and villainous a£l of treachery, and in ana- 
 logy to it, the end and intent of all other 
 diabolical poffeffions muft have been to 
 corrupt and pervert the hearts and minds of 
 men, in fome manner, and to fome wicked 
 purpofe, or other. 
 
 But how comparatively loiv a fenfe of 
 this part of fcripturc-hiflory muft it be, to 
 
 * Heb. ii. 14, 1 5. See Efiay on Redtmption,chap. xi. 
 p. 216. 2d edit. 
 
 2 under- 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlach, 97 
 
 Underftand all thefe pofleffions, as merely 
 fanciful ; and as denoting no more, than 
 feme bodily diftemper ; and that even in the 
 cafe of the traitor Judas ? 
 
 We have had now a pretty full view of 
 the gofpel account of demon lacks, general 
 and particular; every relation of which 
 carries fuch fpecial marks of reality, as 
 leave not the leaft room to doubt about it. 
 The circumflances of every feparate pollef- 
 fion, feverally confidered, afcertain the 
 fadl; and the contrary fuppofition, that 
 thefe pofleffions were only fi6litious, or 
 imaginary, when feverally applied to each, 
 appear to be replete with abfurditles. 
 
 There are three, or four accounts more 
 of demoniacks, which we find in the ASis 
 of the apoflles\ and which it will be proper 
 here to fubjoin, and take fome notice of; 
 in order to complete this enquiry, 
 
 X. The firil: that occurs is of a general 
 nature; concerning which we read, that 
 there ca?ne a multitude out of the cities round 
 about Jerufalem, bringing fick folks, and 
 them which were vexed with unclean fpirits 1 
 and they were healed every one, by Peter, and 
 the reft of the apoftles ; to whom they had 
 been brought for that purpofe. 
 
 H Thefe 
 
^8 An Impartial Kjiquiry info 
 
 Thefe beneficent deeds provoked the in- 
 dignation of the high-prieft, a9id of all 
 them that were 'with him ; which is the fe£l 
 of the Sadducees, to that degree, that they 
 committed the authors of them to the com- 
 mon prifon *. 
 
 It is very remarkable, that in all the gof- 
 pel accounts of the ejedion of evil fpirits, 
 which were often cavilled at by the Scribes 
 and Pharifees, we never once find any men- 
 tion made of the Sadducees^ as raifing any 
 obje6tions againft them, or concerning them- 
 felves at all about them. On the contrary, 
 we find a total filence in them relating to 
 this matter. 
 
 I do not really know, how this can be ac- 
 counted for otherwife, than from the incon- 
 teftable marks of reality, which thefe mi- 
 racles carried. For it appears from the 
 place before us, that they did not want in- 
 clination to cavil at them, if they had 
 found room; when their malice prompted 
 them, one and all, to concur in imprifon- 
 ing the apoftles for thefe charitable offices ; 
 without being able to affign any caufe, or 
 pretence, for fuch violent and injurious 
 
 * A£ls V. 16, 17, iS, 
 
 treat- 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 99 
 treatment; efpecially, when it is confidered, 
 that they were from principle likewife dif- 
 pofed to difpute this power of cafting out de- 
 vils, whoever undertook to do it. For it 
 is well known, that the Sadducees denied 
 the exigence of either angels or fpirits * ; 
 good or bad ; and confequently there could 
 be, in their eflimation or belief, no fuch 
 Beings as evil fpirits, to enter, or to be cad 
 out of, the bodies of men. 
 
 When therefore they fiiw, or were in- 
 formed, that the apoitles aifumed to heal 
 thetn that were vexed with unclean fpirits ; 
 this was their time for avowing their prin- 
 ciples, and declaring, that the dodtrine of 
 diabolical pofleflions was no more than a 
 vulgar error — that in reality there was no 
 fuch thing — but that it was all fancy and 
 imagination — and that thofe who pretended 
 to it were downright impodorsi which 
 they might have alleclged, as a plaufible 
 pretence for imprifoning of them. 
 
 But we do not find a fy liable of this. 
 They were quite referved in declaring their 
 opinion; becaufe it was, on this occafion, 
 refuted by palpable fads, which flared them 
 
 * A6ls xxiii. 8. 
 
 H 2 ill 
 
lOO jin Impartial Knquiry Infd 
 
 in the face; which they durfl not deny; 
 nor could othervvife withftand, than by 
 imprifoning the authors, in order to fup- 
 prefs the pra6l;ce, and deter them from 
 proceeding in works, which reflected fo 
 much difgrace upom them, and their prin- 
 ciples : Though in vain ; for the apoftles, 
 being miraculoufly releafed out of prifon, 
 had this divine atteftation of the truth of 
 the aftonifliing cures which tiiey performed; 
 and boldly juflified themfelves, and their 
 works, when convened before the council*. 
 
 XT. Philip, the dracon, having gone down 
 to Samaria, and preached Chrift there ; 
 among other miracles which he wrought, 
 caiifed unclean fpirits, crying with a loud 
 voice, to come out of many, that were pojfejfed 
 with them, to the great joy of that city f. 
 
 But what is moil: remarkable here, is the 
 cafe of Simon, fiirnamed Simon Magus. 
 This man had for a long time before bewitched 
 the people of Samaria, with his forceries, giv- 
 ing out, that himfelf was fome great one : To 
 'whom thty all, from the leaf to the grcatef^ 
 gave fuch heed, and paid fuch regard, that 
 they called him, The great power of God. 
 
 * A^s V. 13. 
 
 \ i\cts viii. 5 — 13. 
 
 Yet 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demo?ilacks, loi 
 Yet this man, who was fo pradifed in the 
 arts of magick and forcery ; and of courfe 
 fo converfant with evil fpirits; feeing 
 them forced out of the bodies of men, in 
 fo pubHck a manner, and crying out with a 
 loud voice, at their expulfion, was fo con- 
 vinced of the power of Phi/if over them, that 
 he, though his heart was not right in the fight 
 of God, yet believed, and was baptized among 
 many others, and continued ivith Philip, 
 wondering, and beholding, thefe, and the 
 other miracles andfigns, which were done by 
 him. 
 
 Nowhere is a cafe differing from all that 
 we have feen, or (hall fee hereafter. A 
 man, in confederacy with evil fpirits, be- 
 comes a witnefs to their expullion out of the 
 bodies of men ; though he ftill continued in 
 the gall of bitternefs againfl: that power, by 
 which they were expelled ; as appears by 
 the fequel of his ftory. What is convic- 
 tion, if this be not? 
 
 XII. The next of thefe cafes which we 
 meet with, is that of a damfel, poffefjedwith 
 a fpirit of divination ; which brought her 
 mafiers much gain by footh-faying^ . This 
 Ipirit of divination was a kind of familiar 
 
 * Afils xvi. i6. 
 
 H 3 fpirit. 
 
102 ^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 Ipirit, or demofi ; by which fuch as it pof- 
 felTed, relai:ed many ftrange things ; and 
 undercook to foretel future events. 
 
 Thefe were much reforted to by fuperfti- 
 tious people ; and a profitable trade was made 
 of fiich pretenrions. 
 
 This Pythonefst it feems, belonged to a 
 company; who found their account in her, 
 from the profit which fhe brought them. 
 But this damfel, inftead of divining, was 
 moved to bear teftimony to the apoftles of 
 CMn^i, faying^ thefe men are the fewants of 
 the Mo ft High God ; which fhew unto us the 
 *way of falvatlon*. And this (he per fevered 
 to do many days. Though fhe attefled no- 
 thing but the truth, and what feemed to be 
 for their honour, and the advantage of the 
 caufe they were embarked in; yet St. Faul 
 was by no means pleafed with fuch com- 
 pany ; nor did he want the fupport of fuch 
 a witnefs. He was grieved at the flattering 
 attefration of a wicked fpiritj which was 
 given with no other intent, than to court 
 the indulgence and forbearance of Paul 
 from difpoflefling him ; agreeably to the 
 like arts, which we have feen were ufed by 
 evil fpirits towards our Saviour. 
 
 * A6ls xvi. 17. 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demonlachs. 1 03 
 St. Paul might be grieved likewife at the 
 trouble which he forefinv, he, and his fel- 
 low labourer Silas, would fall into; and 
 the difturbance which would be raifed in the 
 city, fhould he call: out this wicked fpirit ; 
 which his duty obliged him to do. For as 
 Chrill: had commiffioned his apoftles to caft 
 out devils ; and St. Paul^ who was not a 
 nsohlt behind the very chief eji of theiriy in any 
 refpeft, was to execute his commiflion on 
 all occafions ; and to cafl out devils, where- 
 ever he met with them : Therefore, refolv- 
 ing at length to exert his authority, he 
 turned, and faid to the fpir'it, I comma?td 
 thee, in the name of Jefus Chrijl, to come out 
 of her : And he came out the fame hour. 
 The confequence was fuch, as St. Paul ap- 
 prehended. The mafters of this damfel, 
 enraged at their lofs, when they faw that all 
 their gain was gone, feized and dragged Paul 
 and Silas into the market-place — brought 
 them before the magiftrates — railed the 
 mob againft them — caufed them to be 
 {tripped, beaten, and clofely confined in 
 prifon ; and chained down like the greatcft 
 malefa6tors. 
 
 Now was there here no real poffeffion ? — 
 
 No fpirit of divination ? If not, what was 
 
 it that PW caft out? And what was all 
 
 H 4 thii 
 
1 ©4 ^« Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 this ftir about ? The owners of the damfel 
 were convinced of the difpoffeffion by an ar- 
 gument, generally the moft convincing 
 and powerful of all others — that which af- 
 iefted their felf-intereft When they faw, 
 that their trade was fpoiled, and their profit 
 all at an end, they were exafperated to the 
 laft degree againft thofe that deprived them 
 of it ; who feverely felt the proofs of their 
 convi£lion, as we have juft now feen. 
 
 But how can we account for St. Paulas 
 condu6t, if this damfel had no fpirit of di- 
 vination ? This was no rafh adl. He had 
 many days to deliberate about it. Why 
 therefore fhould he embarrafs himfelf and 
 his frieiid, in this manner, about a thing of 
 nothing ? Had he, of all men living, any 
 need to court perfecution? If this woman 
 only pradifed footh-laying from a fanciful 
 opinion, which fhe and others had taken 
 up, that ilie had fome ikill in this art ; 
 where was the harm in fuffering her to join 
 him and his company for fome days ; and in 
 bearing teftimpny to them, which was fo 
 full and honourable, however fhe came by 
 it? If the Pythonefs was only mad and 
 raving ; Faul could not be in his fober fenfes, 
 to concern himfelf at all about her ; much 
 
 lefs 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demoniach, 105 
 
 lefs to run himfelf, and his fellow-labourer, 
 "into fo much danger and fufFering — for 
 what ? Not to cure a mad woman ; but in- 
 deed to filence a woman that uttered the 
 words of truth and fobernefs. For what- 
 ever her character and behaviour were in 
 other refpefts; and however Ihe exprefled 
 herfelf at other times ; fuch were the only 
 words which (he fpake on this occafion. 
 And that is a ftrange proof of infanity, 
 which is fetcht from her fteady repetition of 
 that which was none other than a great and 
 mofl: indubitable truth : Which yet is the 
 only evidence of her infanity that is hinted 
 at, or infinuatcd *, 
 
 In a word, the damfel's mafters thought 
 fhe had a fpirit of divination : All the ma- 
 giftrates and people of Philippic who were 
 heathens, thought fo. Paul and Silas 
 thought fo, who were originally Jews '. 
 And St. Luke, who wrote this hiftory, 
 thought fo likewife ; if there be any truth 
 in hiftory — if any regard is to be paid to 
 it ; or difference to be made between it 
 and fable. 
 
 XIII. There is one other cafe in the j^Bs 
 of the Apnfiles, which deferves to be taken 
 
 * Efiay on Demoniacks, p. 107. 
 
 4 notice 
 
1 06 ^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 notice of. It is that of the Jevvifli exor- 
 
 cifts. ^hen certain of the vagabond Jews, 
 exorcijh^ took upon them to call over them, 
 which had evilfpirits, the name of the Lord 
 Jefus ; faying, we adjure you by J e fits, whom 
 Paid preacheth *. 
 
 Thefe Jewilli exorclfls, it feems, made 
 a trade of going about to exorcife fiich as 
 were poffeired by evil fpirits ; and we arc 
 here told, there were no fewer than feveii 
 fons of one man, Sceva, a Jew ; and a chief 
 of the prieftly flimily, who pradifed this 
 art : Whence it appears, that thefe poffeffions 
 muft have been very frequent in thofe days ; 
 and this trade of exorcifing very profitable. 
 
 The Jews were ufed to exorcife, in the 
 name of the God of Abraham, Ifaac^ and 
 Jacob : But whatever fuccefs their exorcifms 
 had been attended with, in the time before 
 the gofpel age 5 they feem not to have been 
 very fuccefsful, fince the commencement of 
 It ; as thofe men found it expedient to change 
 the terms, and the names, through which 
 they made their adjurations, for the name 
 of Jefus : For obferving how effeduahy Paul 
 ca(l out devils in the name of Jefus ; they 
 alfo were tempted to make trial of the power 
 of his name for this purpofe ; by invoking 
 
 ♦ Afls xix. 13, 
 
 it 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Detnonlach. 107 
 
 it over evil fpirits, and adjuring them by 
 Jefus, ivhom Paul preached. And they kept 
 themfelves united together, in hopes of 
 prevailing by their numbers. 
 
 But the evil f pint anfwered and Jaidy J ejus 
 I know i and Paul 1 know — I have experi- 
 enced their power to my coft. But who 
 are yef I difclaim your authority. You 
 are no difciples oi 'Jefus ; nor have you any 
 commiffion from him. Therefore, the man^ in 
 ivhom the evilfpirit was, leaped on them ; afid 
 overcame them ; and prevailed againjl them ; 
 Jo that they fled out of that houfe, naked and 
 wounded *. 
 
 It will be readily faid, that this was no 
 mora than a common madman. But he 
 muft have had uncommon ftrength, thus to 
 overcome fo m.any men in a body ; and to 
 clear the houfe of them, with fuch marks of 
 his rage upon them. Thefe were experi- 
 enced perfons in demoniacal cafes -, whereby 
 they were the better qualified for judging of 
 the efficacy of thofe fpecial miracles, which 
 God wrought by the hands of Paul, in this re- 
 fpe6l ; and of the reality of the cures which 
 had been performed upon demoniacks, in 
 confequence of the handkerchiefs and aprons 
 
 * AsSls xix. 15, 16. 
 
 -which 
 
io8 J^n Impartial 'Enquiry Into 
 
 which had been brought from his body for 
 that purpofe *. 
 
 They undoubtedly took this man for a 
 real demoniack; otherwife they never w oiild 
 have attempted his cure. This alone was 
 what they profeffed ; nor was madnefs, as 
 fuch, any objedl of their undertaking. It 
 appears by the confequence, that they were 
 not miftaken in the cafe ; as they carried 
 fuch proofs of the poffeffion about them. 
 And it would be difficult to convince any 
 one, who fhould put himfelf in their place, 
 that this man was aftuated only by a com- 
 mon phrenzy. 
 
 Jeftis^ fays he, I know ^ and Paul I know. 
 What knowledge could a madman have of 
 either ? And how unfuitable would fuch 
 language be in the mouth of fuch a one ? 
 It will hardly be faid, that this madman 
 had been under the hands of either Jefus 
 or Paul: And how fhould fuch a one know, 
 that thefe Jews were impoftors; and that 
 the others vvere not. 
 
 It is faid, " That before this event St. 
 " Pauly for the fpace of two years, had cured 
 '* all forts of difeafes, andejeded demons, in 
 
 * A6ls xix. I r, 12. 
 
 " the 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlacks, 109 
 
 *< the name of Jefus at Epheftisy Granted. 
 •« How then, it is farther alked, could this 
 ^* demoniack be ignorant either of Jefus or 
 '* Paul* T"* I anfwer, that as a demoniack, 
 he very probably had heard of PauFs curing 
 offuchin the name of Jefus y for which 
 very reafon the demon who poffefTed him 
 made the man always avoid St. Paul, and 
 would never fuffer him to appear in his pre- 
 fence ; which plainly was the cafe, by his 
 continuing in pofleffion of him. But as a 
 madman, if he knew Paul, why did not 
 he, in his lucid intervals, apply to him for 
 relief? Or otherwife, why did not his friends 
 do as much for him ? which the fame of 
 Jefus would the more ftrongly have impelled 
 them to. 
 
 We read in the gofpel of one, who did 
 aftuaily cafl: out devils in the name o^ Jefus ^ 
 though he was no follower of him ; on 
 which account rhe difclples forbad him; 
 at the fame time that Ch'if himfelf was not 
 difpleafed at him -f. And yet we fee how 
 roughly the Jewifh exorcifts were ufed by 
 the demoniack, who attempted to cure him 
 in the name of Jefus, 
 
 ^ Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 277. 
 t Mark ix, 38. Luke ix. 49, 
 
 But 
 
1 1 O jln Impartial Eitiquiry into 
 
 But thefe cafes were very different. The 
 former perfon, though he had not as yet 
 been received, as a difciple, was in the way 
 to be one. He appears to have had a true 
 £uth in Chrifl, without which he couldnot 
 have wrought this miracle; and this of 
 courfe created in him a reverence for Chrifl 
 and his name ; accordingly, being not againfh 
 them, our Lord reckoned him to be on 
 their part *. 
 
 * He that is not with me is againjl tne, fays Chrlft, on 
 another occafion, and he that gathereth not with me^fcattev 
 eth. Matt. xii. 30. On the other hand, he here fays, He 
 that is not againji us, is on our part, Mark ix. 40. Luke ix. 
 50. But here is no contradiciion. He that gives no 
 proof of his attachment to me, nor gathers any con- 
 verts to the religion I teach, I cannot K)ok upon fuch 
 an one as my friend ; but muft reckon him to be in an 
 cppofite intereft. But it is pofnble, that he who gives 
 me no direct oppofition, may in time become a difciple; 
 as he who cafts out devils in my name, lliews himfelf 
 to be well inclined towards mc, though he has not, as 
 yet, declared himfelf for me. 
 
 He that is not v/ith me, may betray circumftances 
 from which it may be piefumed, that he is againft me. 
 
 And he that is not againil me, mav difcover fome in- 
 clinations towards me, and be prefumcd to be for mc. 
 Thefe two propofitions therefore, which at firft fight 
 may feem contradiftory, are perfedlly confiftent with 
 each other. 
 
 The 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach, 1 1 1 
 
 The above exorcifts were profefled Jews, 
 and only ufed the name of Jefus as a 
 charm, when they could have no faith in 
 him : And therefore they met with fuch 
 treatment as they deferved, from their 
 abufe of it : Though neither Chrift, nor 
 his apoftie Paul, had any concern in the 
 cafe. 
 
 This was a very pubhck tranfa6lion, and 
 was produdive of many great confe- 
 quences. // was known to all the fews, and 
 Greeks alfo dwelling at Rphefus : And fear 
 fell on them all ; and the name of the Lord 
 Jefus was magnified^ . The example fpread 
 a general terror, whereby men were awed 
 from making too free with the holy .name 
 of Jefus, the power of which was greatly 
 extolled by thefe means ; and was attended 
 with the converfion of many to the faith. 
 Hence likewife many of thofe, who ufed cu- 
 rious and magical arts, which had a near 
 affinity to exorcifms ; and which Ephefus 
 was famous for; brought their books together, 
 and burned them before all men "f* ; the value 
 of which was computed to amount to no 
 
 * A£ls xix. 17, 
 t Ver. ig. 
 
 le.fs 
 
112 \An Impartial Enquiry Into 
 
 lefs a fum than fifty thou [and talents of fiU 
 •y^r*. We fee here a great number of real 
 fa6ts, and a real facrifice, too confiderable 
 to be made to a vague opinion. 
 
 As counterfeits, when deteded, fet off 
 the worth of fterling coin -, fo the defeat- 
 ing and expofing of the attempts of thefe 
 pretenders, ferved as a foil to the real dif- 
 pofl'effions efFe(fled by PauU as well as to 
 thofe of Chrift, and of his true difciples 
 in general. This likewife proved a feafon- 
 able warning againft impoftors; and taught 
 men to diftlnguifh between true and falfe 
 miracles of this kind. And this being the 
 laft account, which we have in Scripture- 
 hiflory of demoniacal poffeffions, it is added 
 very properly to clofe the reft. 
 
 Let us now look back, and take a gene- 
 ral view of thefe cafes ; and conlider vv^hat 
 circumftances they are attended with, and 
 what concluiions arife from them, which 
 affed the queftion before us, concerning 
 the reality of thefe pofleflions. 
 
 * Suppofing tliefe to have been the Roman filver Denarii^ 
 they have been calculated to amount to 1614 /. H .J. 6 ^. 
 of our money. But if they were Jevvifh Ihekels^ as others 
 fuppofe, they amounte4 to 5703/. 2 s. 6d. 
 
 I. 
 
 We 
 
ike Cafe ojf the Gofpel Demor.lach, 113 
 
 1. We may, I hope, by this time lay 
 thefe down as fa(£ls, of which, general and 
 particular, we have feen a good number : 
 And they appear to be, 
 
 2. Fa(fis of great notoriety. They were 
 not done in a corner. They were gene- 
 rally performed in the prefence of multi- 
 tudes j in cities and places of publick re* 
 fort : Where all men were amazed at them, 
 and the whole country rang with their 
 fame, which was fpread far and wide. 
 
 3. They were fads of a very lingular 
 nature; very remarkable in themfelves ; df 
 a diftin£t kind ; and fuch as attrafled the 
 notice of men in an efpecial manner ; and 
 made them the more to be obferved and at- 
 tended to. 
 
 4. They were particularly taken notice 
 of, and very narrowly examined by ene- 
 mies, who never could dete»fl any falfe- 
 hood or deceit in them; but were forced to 
 confefs their reality. 
 
 5. A confeffion of the truth and reality 
 of them was extorted from the devils them- 
 felves, who were the fubjcifls of them; 
 and on whom thefe miracles were wrought, 
 in fpite of them, to their regret and utter 
 confufion ; and by which they fuffered, to 
 
 I the 
 
114 -^fi Impartial Enqurry into 
 
 the deflru6lion of their very knigdom. Thff 
 teftlmony of enemies is always allowed to 
 carry the greated: weight. The teflimony 
 of fuch eneniies muft amount to demon- 
 flration. 
 
 6. Thefe were permanent fa6ls. Many, I 
 might fay, a'l, the cafes were very ohfti- 
 nate ; and feme had been of long conti- 
 nuance. And the cures performed with re- 
 gard to them were effedual and abfolute : 
 So that the maladies, asfiir as appears, never 
 returned. 
 
 7. They were fads of great importance, 
 affefling the bodily and fpiritual welfare of 
 all thofe who were fubjed: to them ; and 
 the peace, fafety and comfort of their re- 
 lations, friends, and neighbours, and even 
 of fociety in general. 
 
 8. They were more important ftill in 
 other refpeds, and in a higher fenfe ; and 
 in more extenfive views. They are emi- 
 nent proofs of the exiftence of a world of 
 fpirits; which will be more particularly 
 fpoken to hereafter. 
 
 9. Thefe fads are truly miraculous. They 
 were miracles of a fpecial kind, and very 
 aftonifhing. They proved themfelves fuch 
 in the face of the world ; and fpread con- 
 
 vidion 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniachs, 1 1 5 
 
 Vi£lion among all forts of people far and 
 near. 
 
 10. Thefe miracles conflitute one fpecial 
 kind of the miracu ous evi 'iences of Chrif- 
 tianity ; which are all to be held facred and 
 inviolable ^ and ought to be defended, and 
 llrenuoufly contended for, againft thofe 
 that endeavour to interpret them away, irl 
 a light fenfe, very tie{)reciating of them. 
 Their flerling value, and divine fignature are! 
 not to be defaced and melted down, into 
 the common mafs of other miraculous 
 cures ; which they are not to be confounded 
 with ; whereby they would be difguifed, 
 and in a manner loft. 
 
 II. Thefe miraculous cures exceeded all 
 others whatfoever. The objefls of all our 
 Saviour's healing miracles, but thefe, were 
 fome bodily diftempersor complaints. Thefe 
 extended to the healing of the foul, which 
 was their principal object ; and bodily dif- 
 tempers at the fame time were often re- 
 moved by them. Hence they were the 
 more excellent and ialutary. The divine 
 power, goodnefs, and mercy was the more 
 manifefted in them. They were double 
 miracles, and of the higheft value of all 
 others, 
 
 I 3 Thefe 
 
1 1 6 An Impartial Enquiry info 
 
 12. Thefe miraculous fa(Sls are eftablifhed 
 upon the higheft authority ; upon the au- 
 thority of Chrift himfelf, and his apoftles. 
 They were his own a6ls and deeds ; and the 
 deeds of thofe, who were commiffioned by 
 him to perform them. None then durffc 
 difpute, or could doubt of the truth and 
 reality of them. They were attefted, as 
 jufl now obferved, by the devils themfelves, 
 who felt the power of them. And it is 
 ftrange, that men in thefe days ihould 
 have the hardinefs to cavil at them ; or at- 
 tempt to give a different turn to them, fb 
 as to alter their very nature ; and deftroy 
 the mofl valuable and beneficial part of 
 them. 
 
 13. The multitude and variety of thefe 
 fads are likewife verv obfervable: each of 
 which contributes to afcertain the reft: 
 And they all together mutually fupport each 
 others and concur in eftablifhing the au- 
 thenticity of the whole. 
 
 14. Thefe miraculous fa6ts were more 
 circumftantially, and more repeatedly re- 
 corded ; moil of them by two, many by 
 three evangelifts, than fcarce any other mi- 
 racles, or fa6ls whatfoever in the gofpel. 
 
 15. Thefe 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks, 1 1 7 
 
 15. Thefe fa£ts may now plead poirefiion. 
 They have had the fan6tion of time; and 
 the prefcription and eftablilhment of ages. 
 They were entered upon record, in the age 
 they were performed ; and even by feveral 
 perfons concerned in them: And it is a 
 known maxim in the law, that records 
 prove themlelves. The law likewife allows 
 antient books to be good evidence, with 
 regard to fa6ls that exceed memory. Thefe 
 fa£ls are kept on record, in a very antient 
 book; and have the credit of hiftory to 
 reft upon, in common with all other an- 
 tient, well-authenticated flifis: And it is 
 iniquitous, and perverfe, and contrary to 
 all the laws of evidence, and the rules of 
 fair re,afoning, to call them in queftion *. 
 
 Let us in the next place, enquire into 
 the chara^fler of the hiftorians, who record 
 thefe fads. Thefe are the four evangelilts. 
 
 For we have feen one inftance of a poC- 
 feflion recorded by St. John, And it is 
 very obfervable, that, being more fparing 
 of fuch relations than the other evangelifi:s, 
 
 * See Dr, Worthington's Boyle's Leisures, Difc. iv. 
 p. 119, 
 
 I 3 . it 
 
1 1 8 J^fi Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 it is he exprefHy, by name, as mentioned 
 by two of them, who informed our Saviour 
 of a man who caft out devils in his name, 
 and was forbidden by him, and fome of 
 the other difcipies% out of a jealoufy of 
 their mailer's honour, and their own ; left 
 perfons, not commiffioned by him, (hould 
 invade their province in this refped : Where 
 it is plain, that John bears witnefs to this 
 man's having adually caft out devils : 
 Whence it jikewife appears, that he rec- 
 koned this the pecuhar pradice and prero- 
 gative of Chrift, and his apoftles. And 
 this, together with his meiuion of Satan s 
 pofleffing Jiidas-fi entities him to be of 
 the number of the hiftorians, w4io recorded 
 the accounts of demoniacal poffellions. 
 
 Now, to confider their qualifications for 
 this undertaking. It might be fufficient to 
 infift upon their being infpired writers, and 
 therefore infallible. 
 
 But it will moreover be a fatisfadion to 
 all unprejudiced enquirers to find, that 
 thefe perfons had fome qualifications, pe- 
 
 * Mark ix. 38. Luke ix. 49. 
 4- Jo, xiii, 27. 
 
 culiarly 
 
tJoe Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 1 1 9 
 
 culiarly adapted to their employment of 
 recording thele matters. 
 
 Two of them were apoftles, whom our 
 Lord chofc for the fpecial witneffcs of his 
 tranfaO:ions, and of this kind of them 
 among the reft ; which of courfe, therefore, 
 they often, if not ahvays, miift have (t^w 
 him perform. The other two are fuppofed 
 to have been of the number of his feventy 
 difciples, who often attended him likewife ; 
 and had frequent opportunities of obferving 
 the cures he performed upon Demoniacks. 
 
 They were all commiffioned by him to 
 caft out devils themfelves ; and they exe- 
 cuted their commiliion with fuccefs. When 
 they, at one time, returned to him, from 
 a miiiion on which he had fent them, and 
 made report of the iflue of it, Lord^ faid 
 they, even the devils are fitbjccl to us through 
 thy name. 
 
 Now thefe men muft furely have had 
 fufficient experience to qualify them for 
 recording thefe matters; and for diftin- 
 guifhing between real pofleflions and 
 feigned, or imaginary ones. They had 
 been cye-witnefles of the many miracles of 
 this kind wrought by Chrift. They had been 
 concerned in many themfelves. 
 
 I 4 They 
 
I 20 ^n Impartial Enquiry infoi 
 
 They felt this power within them : And 
 they never failed to exercife it, when they 
 met with objects of it. There is but one 
 hiftance upon record, in which they failed 
 to eje£l a malignant fpirit out of one pofr 
 feffed by him. But that was not becaufe 
 there was no devil in the man to caft out, 
 but becaufe he had taken a too ftrong hold, 
 and pofTeirion in him, for their abilities to 
 overcome. 
 
 And this very obftinacy of his confirmed 
 the reality of the pofleffion. They never 
 had the leaft doubt about that : And Chrifl: 
 himfelf having difpoileifed him in their 
 prefence, he, by this means, afcertained 
 the fa61:, and fet his feal to the truth of it. 
 
 Thefe were extraordinary cafes ; and here 
 were extraordinary qualifications in the per- 
 fons who were to record them, which put 
 them above all exception. 
 
 One of the hiftorians, who recorded 
 thefe miracles, was yet better qualified for 
 the purpofe than the reft. St. Luke was a 
 phyfician*; And he would not have been 
 mentioned as fuch, had he not been emi- 
 nent in his profeffion. He is the brother^ 
 
 * Col. iv. 14, 
 
 wbofe 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach. 121 
 
 fwhofe fraife is in the gofpel, throughout all 
 the churches *. As the care and fidelity of 
 this facred hiftorian redound to his charac- 
 ter in general : So particularly doth his re- 
 cording of demoniacal cafes entitle him to 
 fnigular efteem and regard; *' and his ftyle 
 *' and manner of writing are much com- 
 «' mended by fome of the mod learned of 
 " the fame profeffion : Who acknowledge, 
 «' that, as a phyfician, he well underftood 
 f * the force and meaning of words ; and 
 " that his language is more fimple, and 
 >« corre(fl, as well as more phyfical, than 
 ♦f that of the other evangeliflsf." 
 
 Now, as St. Luke had perfeSi underjland' 
 ing of all things from the very firfl J, and 
 had the bell: opportunities of Informing 
 himfelf in the feveral demoniacal cafes par- 
 ticularly — As he partook of, and may be 
 fuppofcd to have proved, and exercifed the 
 power of ejecting evil fpirits himfelf, being 
 one of the feventy, to whom that, power 
 >vas communicated — As he .was, by his 
 
 • 1 Cor. viii. 18. 
 
 f Dr. Meady and Dr. Frelnd, from Diflert. on Demo- 
 jiiacks, p. 37. 
 t Luke i. 3. 
 
 profeflion, 
 
122 An Impartial Knquh'y Into 
 
 profeflion, well qualified for forming a true 
 judgement upon thefe cafes ; and for dif- 
 tinguifliing between them and natural dif- 
 orders — As, befides the cafes which he re- 
 cords in his gofpel, he gives an account of 
 fome others in his Adls of the apoftles, 
 which lay out of the delign of the other 
 evangelifrs- — And as he is fo full " and co- 
 " pious, fo exa6t and particular, in record- 
 '< ing them all," his authority alone, fet- 
 ting afide his divine infpiration, muil furely 
 be admitted as decifive. If, in any of thefe 
 cafes, which he records, he had had any 
 fufpicion of their not being real polieiilons, 
 he would not furely have expreffed himfelf 
 lb pofitively and peremptorily about them ; 
 or if there had been any obfcurity or ambi- 
 guity in his ^j\q or didion ; whereby cri- 
 ticks might have room to put a different 
 fenfe upon his words ; this would have 
 rendered his evidence doubtful : But as he 
 delivers his teftimony concerning poflef- 
 fions, with fo much plainnefs, accuracy, 
 and precifioh, conformably to the reft of 
 his writings, and to the accounts of the 
 other evangelifts ; this furely, when duly 
 weighed and confidered, mufl: flop the 
 mouths of all gainfayers. 
 
 Such 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Dcmon'iacks, 123 
 
 Such is the refulr of this enquiry — fuch 
 are the cafes which have been the fubjed of 
 it — fuch the fads, as they have turned out 
 — and fnch tlie witnefles of them! Whence 
 I flatter myfelf they might fafely be left to 
 reft: upon their own bottom, without add- 
 ing any thing more in fupport of them. 
 
 For, upon a review of what hath been 
 fald, confidering the multitude and variety 
 of the cafes ; the clearnefs, precilion, and 
 reiterated force of the evidence; the con- 
 currence of {o many circumft:ances ; the 
 credit, chara6ler, and authority of the wit- 
 nefl'es ; 1 do not know what can now be want- 
 ing to eft:abli(h in our minds a full and tho- 
 rough convidlion of them ; nor what caa 
 now be faid to invalidate the belief of thefe 
 pofl'eflions. 
 
 Notwithftanding, it may be expected, 
 that fome notice fhould be taken of what 
 loath been faid againft the reality of them. 
 
 I fhall therefore proceed, in the next 
 place, to make a few general remarks upon 
 the grounds and principles of the Eflhy on 
 Demoniacks, and to obviate fuch particular 
 objedions contained in it, as feem to carry 
 moft weight in them. 
 
 And 
 
124 -^^i Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 And firft I mufl: obferve, that the chief 
 principle, on which this Effay is founded, 
 is wrong, erroneous, and abfolutely inde- 
 fenfible, in every view of it. 
 
 The dodlrine of the Effay is, " That 
 ** Chrift and his evangehfts, in fpeaking 
 " and writing of Demoniacks, always 
 " made ufe of the popular language of 
 '^ the age and country, which fignified 
 *^ their being really pofTefTed with de- 
 *' mons, agreeably to the vulgar notion iu 
 ** that refpedt: When yet they themfelves, 
 <' at the fame time, in J:ruth, believed no 
 ?' fuch thing ; but, on the contrary, lookecj 
 ^' upon thofe pofleffions, as being only fi^n-r 
 ** ciful and imaginary.*' 
 
 This I take to be the purport of the maia 
 do£lrine of the Eflay r and the principle on 
 which it is built, and which runs through 
 it, can be none other than this, or to thi? 
 efte£t — " That it is allowable to pro- 
 " fefs one thing, and believe the con- 
 " trary : And that it is juftifiable for 
 " men, in their words and a<£lions, and 
 *« in their whole outward conduft, to 
 " proceed in a manner contradiclory to 
 '* the convidions of their own minds ; 
 
 " and 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demomach. 12$ 
 " and that in matters of the moft ferious na- 
 ** ture ; in the great concerns of morality 
 " and religion." 
 
 This principle is not dire£bly avowed 
 in the Eflay in fo many words. I wifh the 
 author had laid down his principles ex- 
 prefsly. But it is colle6led from what 
 occurs frequently in it, and particularly 
 from the whole tenour of chap. II. fe£l. iii. 
 And I hope is fairly reprefented ; than 
 which I wifh nothing more. 
 
 Now I maintain, that this principle is 
 falfe in itfelf, and injurious in the appli- 
 cation ; and that it cannot be defended by 
 any known rules of good writing ; or any 
 found maxims of morality whatfoever. 
 For by what laws of interpretation ; what 
 canons of criticifm ; what figure in rheto- 
 rick; are any writers to be underflood in a 
 fenfe diredlly contrary to that in which 
 they exprejs theiufelves ? By none cer- 
 tainly. 
 
 Theftyle of the gofpel-hillory, though 
 the work of different writers, is all uniform 
 throughout. It contains the fame plain 
 narration of fads in the account which it 
 gives of our Saviour's miracles of all forts; 
 of his life and death, his refurredion and 
 
 afcen- 
 
126 An Impartial Rnqulry into 
 
 afcenfion. But according to this mode of 
 interpretation, the gofpel accounts of demo- 
 niacks are all to he read backwards: And 
 if this rule is purfued, his other miracles 
 may be interpreted in the fame manner. 
 His temptation hath already been repre- 
 fented, as being all vifionary ; and fo may 
 his fufierings and death, his refurre^lion 
 and afcenfion, be treated as fuch like wife : 
 Nor at this rate fhall we know when to 
 flop, nor where fuch liberties of prophejying 
 will end. 
 
 There were hereticks of old, the Docetce^ 
 I think they were called, who held, that 
 Chrjfi really did not fuffer or die in his own 
 perfon ; but that the man, who was com- 
 pelled to carry his cro(s, was fubftituted in 
 his {lead. Thefe hereticks were foon ex- 
 ploded. And indeed I think the opinion 
 contended tor is not much lefs abfurd. 
 The principle of it is not only abfurd, 
 but pernicious. 
 
 There lately was, and flill is, in fome 
 countries, a fociety of men who held it 
 lawful to diffemble the truth, and even to 
 lie for it. But I know not of any befides 
 the fraternity of the Jefuits, who maintain 
 thefe deteflable maxims. 
 
 The 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks, 1 27 
 
 The faftning of any the like imputations 
 upon him, who is truth itfelf, and upon his 
 true difciples, is the fouleft indignity that 
 could be offered them -, and the groffeil: af- 
 front to the morality of the gofpel. It is 
 fhamefully contradidting the numberlefs 
 hiftorical truths which it relates* It is, m 
 effeifl, telling the evangel ifts, that they re- 
 cord untruths ; and telling Chri/l himfelf, 
 that he did not do the things that he af- 
 fumed to do: Which is (hocking to reflect 
 upon. 
 
 If fuch an hypothefis as this were to take 
 place ; there would not be a better foun- 
 dation for the charge of pious frauds, even 
 upon the firft founders of our religion. And 
 if our Saviour did cafl out devils only in 
 (hew, I do not know, how he could be vin- 
 dicated, if he were accufed of being no 
 more than a juggling Impoftor. A man muft 
 have w'orked iiimfelf up to a flrange pitch 
 of prejudice, to have the hardinefs to with- 
 ftand fuch plain declarations of fa6ts ; and 
 interpret them all away. I cannot tell, 
 whether the author of the EfTay be an oc- 
 cafional conformift, or not. But by the 
 principles which he advances, he. makes 
 7 Chriji 
 
128 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 Chr'ijl and his evangeliils to be excellenf 
 ones. 
 
 Every author writes to be underflood : 
 But there is no underftanding of any one, 
 who exprefles himfelf in plain language ; 
 which carries an obvious literal fenfe ; and 
 yet hath a covert, latent meaning, of a very 
 different, I may fay contrary, nature ; which 
 he never difcqvered to have, nor ever was 
 fufpedted to h^ve ; till at length, after a 
 courfe of many ages, that difcovery is made, 
 with regard to the evangelifls ; by Ibme 
 that Teem to know their .meaning better 
 thanthemfelves. It is the greateft abufe of 
 language, thus to be dealt with. If this 
 were permitted ; it would be the means of 
 introducing an univerfal fcepticifm: And if 
 fuch liberties are to be taken with the fcrip- 
 tures. we may as well throw our bibles 
 away. Surely, no other book was ever 
 treated in this manner ! 
 
 The common ufe of a few terms, relating to 
 fpeculative matters, which took their rife from 
 a miftaken philofophy 5 but which do not in 
 the leaft afTed religion or morality ; can by no 
 means juftify the fuppofition, that many 
 whole pafl'ages in the writings of four diffe- 
 rent authors carry a lignification very different 
 
 from 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks, iig 
 
 from the obvious and literal fenfe of them^ 
 What relation have the vulgar phrafes of 
 the fun's rifiTig, and fetting*, and the earth's 
 fldncilng fill, to any revealed truths ? Or 
 what efFe6l have they ever had on morality ? 
 What analogy have the defcriptions of St. 
 Anthony's fire, or St. Vitus'' s dance, to the 
 numerous narrations of demoniacal poflef- 
 fions in the gofpels ? A man muil: be hard 
 put to it for argument, before he would 
 mention fuch inltances as thefe, or that of 
 the night-mare or Incuhus, as proofs of our 
 following the cuftomary mode of fpeakingj 
 •without approving the hypothecs*? 
 
 But this lad inftance is an unlucky one 
 for the purpofe. With regard to which, the 
 following paffage of a phiiofophical work, 
 well-efteemed, may not be unacceptable to 
 our readers, and is in point. 
 
 **Letuscori{ider,"faystheauthdr,<'thedifeare 
 ** calledthe/«c«/^//j",or;z/g-;6/-w<?rr, which many 
 *' perfons are tormented with in their fleep* 
 *» It is generally accompanied with fright - 
 ** ful, ghaftly apparitions^ which are then 
 ** obtruded upon the imagination ; fo that 
 ** the party is made to fancy, that the dif- 
 
 * l^e Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 316, 
 
 K •< temper 
 
1^0 An Impartial EtKiwry hito 
 
 " temper itfelf proceeds 'from its prefliiig' 
 '* him down with a weight like to flifle 
 "-him. And, for this very reafon, the 
 " Latins call this diforder, the hicubus ; as 
 " if we (hould fay, the Overwhelmer, or 
 '* Opprejfor: And the Greek name, EcptuXrvjg, 
 " imports much the fame thing. And 
 ** this, I believe, is allowed to be a cafuai 
 '* diflemper of the brain, by which the 
 <« animal fpirits are obfl:ru61:ed. 
 
 *« But now the bodily indifpodtion here, 
 *' and the difagreeable vilion made to ac- 
 <* company it, are tzvo very different things : 
 '« And, as it would be abfurd to make the 
 " diforder of the material organ, the effi- 
 *' cient caufe of the apparitions, which are 
 *' exhibited along with it : For thefe are 
 " often ugly phantoms, which to fright us 
 ** the more, appear to have bad defigns upon 
 *» us ; threaten us ; wreftle with us ; get us 
 <» down ; all which infer a dejignlng, intelU- 
 <» gent caufe: So their being exhibited along 
 *' with it, and adapted to it, Ihews us, I 
 " think, that thefe beings wait for, and 
 ** catch the opportunity of the indifpofi- 
 *' tion of the body ; to reprefent at the fame 
 
 " time 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Dcmontacks. i^i 
 <f time fomething terrifying alfo to the 
 *' mind*.'* 
 
 From this paflage, it appears, that the 
 author of it, thought \.h& Incubus to be, not 
 an imaginary, but a real Being, of that 
 fort, the exiftence of which our Eilayift is 
 arguing againft. 
 
 I have not yet done with the fallacious 
 principle abovementioned. It is highly 
 injurious, in its application to our Saviour, 
 in other refpeds. It is making him the 
 patron of fuperflition* True religion is 
 placed in the middle, between the extremes 
 of infidelity, on the one fide, and fuperfti- 
 tion, on the other; equally diftant^ and 
 averfe from both. If the notion of pof- 
 feflions be falfe and imaginary, the belief 
 of them is fuperftitious. 
 
 It begets in people falfe fears, and makes 
 them fear, where no fear is. It makes 
 them truely and literally Asia-i^xii^oveg, It 
 is raifing their apprehenfions of Beings that 
 have no power to hurt them ; and filling 
 
 * See an Eflay on the Phaenomcnon of Dreaming; in 
 an Enquiry into tl>e Nature of the Human Soul, Vol. 11, 
 p. 14c. 
 
 K 2 them 
 
I J 2 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 them with a dread of fuch, as have no ex» 
 iftenee. 
 
 it is withdrawing fheir religious Thoughts 
 frotn the proper objecfl of them; and placing, 
 religion where it ougbt not to be ; and on 
 things that do not belong to it. And thisy I 
 take to be the true notion and ixature of 
 formal fuperftition. 
 
 Now to fuppofe our bleffed Lordy and his 
 apoftles, capable of giving any countenance 
 to fuch fuperftition — to fuppofe that he, 
 who came from heaven on purpofe to teach 
 pure and undefiled religion, diverted from^ 
 all thofe leifer fuperftitious riles and cuf- 
 toms, which had crept into the Jewifh 
 church ; ihould at the fame time counte- 
 nance, and coiifirm them,- m this grofs 
 and flagrant fuperitition, if it be one — 
 ihould both by word and deed, propagate it. 
 — (hould take pains for thispurpofe — fhould 
 go about, not, as it is faid of him, healing 
 (ill that were cpprejfed of the Jevil, but only 
 pretending to heal them -— This is the 
 height of impiety to conceive : It is diame- 
 trically oppoiite to the gracious dcfign of 
 our Saviour, and to thefe his wondrous 
 works. If the notion of pofteiTing demons 
 and fpirits was furperftitiows, it was rivet* 
 
 ing 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demomach, 133 
 
 i-ng thofe notions in the minds of men to 
 all intents and purpofes; inftead of extir- 
 pating them ; as he certainly would have 
 <lone, had they been falfe and groundlefs. 
 
 We are told, rhat it doth not appear, that 
 Chrift and his apoftles had any divine warrant 
 to change the vulgar language, in defcribing 
 the cafe of -the demoniacks*. They cer- 
 tainly had not. There was no occafion for 
 it. It was the proper language adapted to 
 the truth of things : Otherwife they un- 
 doubtedly would have changed it, whether 
 they had had an exprefs warrant, or not. 
 The neceflity of the cafe would have re- 
 quired it. 
 
 This writer, while he is combating the 
 do6trine of demoniacal poffeffions, as being 
 fuperflitious, is at the fame time endeavour- 
 ing to explain Aei(n^ccif4.ovEg-e^ii^, the proper 
 term for being too fuperftitious, into a very- 
 different, and much more favourable fenfe : 
 And compliments St. Pau/ for his polite- 
 nefs, as he would have it, in addreffing 
 the Athenians ; by making him call them 
 very devout towards demons^ or gods -f- : Iij- 
 
 * Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 358. 
 •J- IbiJ, p. 208, 
 
 flead 
 
1 34 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 flead of taxing them m Jo fiochng a man^ 
 ner, as we tranllate it, with being too fuper- 
 Jiitious, For which yet we think he had 
 good grounds, when he faw fuch proofs of 
 it, in the nciultitude of heathen altars and 
 images, with which their city abounded. 
 He had otherwife been very unfit for the 
 ofRce of a preacher of the gofpel. 
 
 Thoug4i we are told, that the word Ae/o-i^ 
 ^oi,if/,cov is capable of a good fenfe : Yet it can 
 never be fo underflood by Chriftians, on ac- 
 count of the term Aai^coi ; to the worfhip 
 of which it refers, fo incompatible with 
 that of Chiidians: And its being ufed by 
 the apoftle in the comparative degree would 
 otherv/ife determine it to a bad fenfe. To 
 be too religious, which is the moft favour- 
 able tranflation it can bear, is to be fuper- 
 flitious. Aei(r^laif/.ovia, was well explained 
 - by an anticnt Etymologift, as being 
 taken by the heathens in a good fenfe ; 
 but that, among Chriftian?, it was pyt 
 for impiety *. 
 
 ^{^.ocu Suicer. in voce. Ham, in loc. 
 
 The 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Demoniac ks. i 35 
 The denying of diabolical poffeflions 
 flrikes at the whole oeconomy of revealed 
 religion; of which the reality of thefe pof- 
 feflions is a part, and a very confiderable 
 part too ; as will appear, when we come to 
 take a view of the true fcripture-demo- 
 nology, in oppofition to that of the ElTIiy. 
 To proceed, 
 
 We are told, " That the fpirlts, which 
 <* were thought to take poffcffion of mens 
 <' bodies, are called in the New Tefta- 
 «' ment demons^ not devilsT — "That by 
 <« demons we are to underftand the pagan 
 *' deities ; and thefe fuch human fpirits, as 
 *« fuperftitlon deified *." Now, as thefe 
 were judged capable of entering the bodies 
 of mankind; I would fain know, where 
 the difference lyes, v»^ith regard to the ar- 
 gument, between fuch pofTefrions, and pof- 
 feflions by other evil fpirits : For evil fpirits 
 they muft have been, of fome fort or other; 
 from their evil operations in thole whom 
 they polfefTed. 
 
 'If any evil fpirits at all might be fup-. 
 pofed to have entered men's bodies, befides 
 
 • Eflay on Dcmoniacks, p. la. 22, 
 \ Ibid. p. 22, 
 
 K ^ their 
 
13^ Jin Impartial Enquiry lnt& 
 
 their owu fouls, it is of no fignification, 
 \vhat the nature, or kind of thofe fpirits 
 was— whether they were the fouls of men, 
 or fallen aqgels. Our opinion concerning 
 them, or even our knowledge of them, 
 could we attain it, makes no alteration in 
 the nature of the cafe. The ph^^nomenon is 
 much the fame ; and the miracle of eject- 
 ing the one, or the other, would be the 
 jfame likewife. 
 
 Bqt this will be confidered more particut 
 larly hereafter. 
 
 In the mean time, let us proceed to ano- 
 ther general obfervation. That, as this 
 performance is faulty in its main principle ; 
 fo it is in its very foundation. There is no 
 building without a foundation : But this 
 work is raifed without any foundation, as 
 far as I can perceive, having been previoufly 
 laid for it; or, at beil, with a very fandy 
 qne. It is built upon fuppofition ; taking 
 Ifhat for granted, which fhould have been 
 proved beforehand. What we firfl meet 
 with to this purpofe is a promife, in th^ 
 contents, of fnewing, who firfl invented 
 the dodtrine of polTefiion ; as if this was 
 no mor^ thj\n a creature of man's in- 
 vention, without having any other founda- 
 tion. 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach. 137 
 tion. In difcharge of this promife, ia 
 the place referred tp, which is not till 
 we are got a good way into the book, no 
 particular author, or authors, of this doc- 
 trine are named, and proved to have been 
 |:he firft broachers of it ; but we are only- 
 told in general, " That thofe who firft in^ 
 •' vented this dodrine were men unac- 
 ^< quainted vy^ith nature ; and yet ambitious 
 " of accQunting for its moft myfterious 
 ** phenomena * ;" which we are to take th^ 
 learned writer's word for. 
 
 At the fame time, his promife of fliew- 
 ipg by whooi this do6trine was rejected is 
 punctually performed ; and «' the feds and 
 *« perfons, whofe minds were not difturbed 
 « by fuperftitious terrors," and who denied 
 the reality of demoniacal pofleffions, are 
 exprefbly mentioned ; at the head of whom 
 he is not alhamed to place the Epicureans 
 among the heathens, and the Sadducees 
 among the Jews -f-. This dodrine then 
 
 * See Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 153. Here I cannot 
 help obferving, once for all, that there is often more In 
 the contents, than in the body of this book j and that 
 jnorc is promifed, than is performed in it. 
 
 t Ibid. p. 155. 
 
 rauft 
 
138 jfin Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 mufl; have obtained, before it could have 
 been rejected. 
 
 It is here to be obferved farther, that 
 the dodlrine of demoniacal poffeffion is a 
 pofitive one, and built upon fa£ls, as we 
 have feen at large : The denial of it, on the 
 contrary, is of a negative nature, and is a 
 denial of thofe favSts. It is not therefore to 
 be wondered at, that no djreft attempt was 
 niade to difprove the former, or to prove 
 the latter ; becaufe of the impradicability 
 of the thing. 
 
 Fads are allowed to be the moft obftinatc 
 things in the world, and the moft difficult 
 to be contended with : And negatives are 
 the hardefl: of all things to be proved. And 
 whoever undertakes this talk in the prefent 
 cafe, will have the proving of the nega- 
 tive ; both in general, and with regard to 
 every one of the fa^ls particularly; toge- 
 ther with the circumflances of eacli. An4 
 how this is to be done, I profefs, I am at a 
 lofs to guefs. This fide of the queftion i? 
 capable of no pofitive proof whatfoever. 
 Thefe fadls cannot be difproved by any 
 argument a priori \ nor by any direft argu* 
 ment at all. It is not enough to uiy, that 
 the language, in which we have the recital 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach. 139 
 
 of thefe fa£ls, was the popular language of 
 the age, in compliance with which it was 
 ufed, concerning the notion of poflefiions ; 
 and that this notion was a vulgar error : 
 But you muft firft prove it to be an error. 
 This hath not been done : Nor do I con- . 
 ceive how it can be done. There are but 
 two ways for proving any thing ; thefe, in 
 the language of the fchools, are a priori^ 
 and a pofieriori. There are no data for 
 proving this to be an error, that can be 
 fetched a priori. This proof therefore mufl 
 be fet about a pofieriori. And this can be 
 done no otherwife than by difproving the 
 fads, on which this notion is founded -, and 
 which appear in its fupport. 
 
 That the notion of demoniacal poflef- 
 fions had long obtained before our Saviour*s 
 time, and continued to prevail in his time, 
 is readily granted ; and thanks are due to 
 the learned author for the pains which he 
 hath taken to bring together many proofs 
 of it * : To which fome more will be added 
 in the proper place. 
 
 The demoniacal pofTeffions and difpolTef- 
 fions in the gofpels are fo many flifls, which 
 
 f See EfTay on Deinoniacks, p. 124. 
 
 confirn^ 
 
140 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 confirm the truth of this notion. There- 
 fore, before it can be difp roved, the fa£ls 
 niuft be dlfproved. Thefe lye in the way, 
 and muft firft be combated. Thefe are its 
 outworks ; and if they cannot be demoHfhed, 
 .the citadel is impregnable, and the doctrine 
 fafe. 
 
 Before any argument can be drawn from 
 the conformity of the gofpel language, in 
 this refpedl, to the popular language, 
 grounded upon the notions of the vulgar, 
 which you fuppofe to have been erroneous ; 
 you muft farther prove, that Chrift, and 
 his evangelifts, did not think as they fpake, 
 and wrote. You muft juftify them, in 
 that refpe£l, from the like manner of fpeak- 
 ing, and writing, ufed by them, on other 
 occaiions ; which, from what hath been 
 faid under the laft head, can never be done. 
 You muft produce fome pafTages out qf 
 Scripture, relating to other fubjeds, if not 
 to this, wherein the Uke ftile is ufed ; and 
 the like condud obferved. If you cannot 
 do this, you ftiould at leaft produce fomcT 
 thing fimilar, or analogous to it; out of 
 fome other grave authors of antiquity, 
 wherein they mention diabolical pofl'eflions, 
 ^s real ; but yet difcover, by fome means or 
 
 other, 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach. 141 
 
 other, that they themfelves did in truth 
 believe them to be only imaginary. Nay, 
 do but produce any one paflage, or fentence, 
 out of any writer, antient or modern, 
 good, bad, or indifferent, I do not know 
 whether writers of romances need to be ex- 
 cepted, who is not to be underftood, as he 
 writes; and you will have fomething to 
 keep you in countenance. But thefe are 
 difficulties not to be furmounted. 
 
 What other topick can be thought of to 
 help out this argument, I am at a lofs to 
 guefs, unlefs recourfe be had to Mr. Humes 
 argument of experience. And that argu- 
 ment, I imagine, is by this time fuffi- 
 eiently exploded. This, however, is at 
 beft but a negative experience ; and there- 
 fore a negative proof. It is but your own 
 experience ; which extends but a little way* 
 You can only fay, you never faw any demo- 
 . niacal pofleffions ; you cannot fay, other peo- 
 ple never did. You do not know what expe- 
 rience thofe of antient times had to the con*^ 
 trary: Nor,Iprefume, have you made anydif- 
 coveries relating to the world of fpirits, which 
 they were ignorant of. Some teftimonies, ia 
 proof of poHeffions, will be produced, in 
 the Appendix, from later times. Their ex- 
 perience was founded on fadts. You have 
 4 110 
 
142 An Impartial Enquiry i?2id 
 
 no fa<^s to ground any experience upon* 
 Your experience therefore is indeed no ex- 
 perience at all. 
 
 Reafon is llippofed to have no fmall 
 weight in determining upon the 'cafe: 
 Whence we are told, "that there is no fuffi- 
 *' cient evidence from reafon, for the reality 
 ** of demoniacal poffefHons : Nay^ that reafon 
 " flrongly remonftrates againft it*." 
 
 But what doth reafon know of the mat- 
 ter? It is quite out of its province; and is 
 no more an object of it, than mufick is to 
 the deaf, or colours to the blind. 
 
 Our reafon, in its moll: improved ft ate, 
 coniidered merely as fiich, is prelTed down 
 to earth, and hardly fees the things before 
 it. The immaterial world is beyond its 
 fphere ; and the greateft philofopher knows 
 no more of it, by the help of his reafon^ 
 than the moft ignorant peafant. Our me- 
 taphylicks extend but a little way; and that 
 fcience, if it may be called one, hibours 
 under great imperfe£lion and uncertainty.' 
 «' Natural theology is in itfelf a poor, 
 " weak thing; and reafon, unaffifted, hath 
 «' not been able to carry the cleared philofo- 
 
 * EfTay on Demonlacks, fed, ix. prop. ix. p. 150. 
 
 •* phers 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 1 43 
 ** phers very far, in their purfuit after di- 
 " vine matters*." It is from revelation 
 alone, that we draw aily certain know- 
 ledge in this refpe6l. And it is no fign of 
 a good caiife, that men fly from it ; and 
 appeal to that which is fo poor a judge of 
 the matter. 
 
 An objection is ftarted towards the clofe 
 of the work before us, which, if it hath 
 any weight in it, ought to have appeared 
 in its front 3 as it would then have gone 
 near to cut the queflion fhort, and prevent 
 any controverfy about it. 
 
 The objection is, *' That the eje6lion of 
 <« demons is not an obje6l of fight ; and 
 " that it doth not fall within the notice of 
 "any of the fenfes-f-." Whence we are 
 left to infer, that it cannot properly be the 
 fubjecfl of teflimony : And if fo, the evan- 
 gelifls were very idle, in attempting to give 
 any teftimony concerning it, and little re- 
 gard is due to their teilimony, however 
 well it may feem to be authenticated. 
 
 But though thefe incorporeal Beings arc 
 not vifible to our flefhly eyes ; yet their pof- 
 
 * Baker s Refledlions on Learning, chap, ix. Of 
 
 Metaphyficks. 
 
 \ Eilay on Demoniacks, p. 391. 
 
 feflion 
 
144 -^« tmpartial J^npiry tnU 
 
 feffion of men, and their difpoffeffiohi might 
 have been vifible enough in their elFeds and 
 confeqviences ; as all thofe recorded by the 
 evatigeliftsnotorioully were. 
 
 There are jnany fhi^nomena in the material 
 world which efcape our fenfes * the reality 
 of which, notwithflanding, is incontrover- 
 tible. We cannot fee the wind : But wei 
 hear the found of it, and feel its power t 
 tvhich is often very great, though we can-' 
 not tell whence it comethy nor whither it 
 goefh. 
 
 And this is made ufe of by our Saviour^ 
 as a comparifon to illuftrate fpiritual mat- 
 ters by : And if we are to believe nothing 
 about fpiritual Beings, but Vv^hat falls under 
 our fenfes 3 we mufl not believe fo much as 
 the exiftence of any of them. 
 
 It is allowed, that we may know, when 
 a difeafe is cured : But it is alked, " What 
 <« evidence there is, that a demon is expelled^ 
 «' arifing from the work itfelf * ?*' 
 
 To which we may anfwer, juft as miich 
 as there is from the cure of a difeafe; the 
 alteration produced being no lefs difcernible 
 in tbe one, tli«n in the other; whatevei: 
 
 * Efiay on Demoniacks, p. 391^ 
 
 more« 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Demor.lacks, 145 
 
 more. The more violent the paroxyfms, 
 in either cafe, the greater the evidence is, 
 which arifes from the total removal of 
 them ; be the cafe what it will : And no 
 natural diftemper could ever be attended 
 with more dreadful agonies, than thefe 
 pofleffions werci nor any more etfe^lually 
 removed. The variety of the fymptoms 
 likewife in thefe feveral cafes made the cure 
 of them all the more confpicuous. 
 
 One would be apt to think, that the 
 man, who flarted fuch objections, had 
 never read the gofpel-accounts of Demo- 
 niacks. 
 
 To call thefe invlfible jniracles— to affert, 
 that they do not, and " cannot furnlflo any 
 ^"^ fenfble, and publick proofs of ChrifT s power 
 ** over demons ;" or '* any proof at all to un- 
 *' believers''* — and " that no miracle of this 
 " kind could be a publick difplay of Chrifs 
 *' power ; or a vifible vidiory over the devil ; 
 " and a fenfible manifefation of the glories of his 
 *' conqueror^'* — and that tliefe were no mi- 
 racles at all to mankind.— Thefe are down- 
 right aflertions againft faCl ; as abundantly 
 appears from what hath been already ob« 
 
 •^- Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 393. 395. 398. 
 
 L ferved. 
 
146 An Impartial Ejiqulry into 
 
 ferved, and do hdt deferve any notice to ht 
 taken of them. 
 
 Were thole miracles Invifible, which pro- 
 duced fuch amazement, and were fo aflo- 
 nKbiug to multitudes ? What more pub- 
 lick and vifibie difplay of Chrift's power — 
 what more vilible vidlory over the devil — 
 or more fenfible manifeftation of the glories 
 of his conqueror, can any reafonable be- 
 liever, or unbeliever, defire, than fuch as 
 arofe from the confeflion of the devils 
 themfelves?— From the dread and confufion, 
 which they betrayed at Chrift's prefence? 
 And from their inflantly quitting pofleflion, 
 at a word fpoken by him, though with the 
 utmoft reluctance? 
 
 The demons were literally incorporated 
 with the demoniacks ; and by that means 
 the miraculous difpofleffions of them be- 
 came objeCls of fenfe; and the miracle 
 wrought on the one, was wrought on the 
 other too. 
 
 The miracles of Chrift in general were 
 publick teftimonies which God gave to the 
 truth of his million. — They were the imme- 
 diate great evidences of the religion he 
 taught; and were wrought for the convic- 
 tion and converfion of the world to him. 
 
 The 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel DetHoninch. 147 
 
 The miracles wrought on the demoniacks 
 bear thefe characters, and anfwer this in- 
 tent, as much as heaHng the fick, or any 
 others ; whatever more. Many beUeved in 
 confequence of them. The patients them- 
 felves beheved of courfe: Of whom, fome 
 gave exprefs proofs ; as, for inflance, 
 
 The man out of whom the legion was 
 cad : The Syro-pbcenician woman, and her 
 daughter : And Mary Magdalene, who be- 
 came a zealous difciple, as well as (incere 
 penitent. Can it be fuppofed, that the 
 wonder of multitudes at thefe ftrange works 
 ended in a ftupid aftonifhment? And that 
 it left no lafting impreflions upon them? 
 When they aiked, What thing h this f 
 What new doBrine is this? which thefe works 
 were performed in atteftation of; did not 
 their curiofity carry them to get fome far- 
 ther information concerning it ? When they 
 obferved, that with authority he commanded 
 even the unclean fpirits, and they obeyed him ; 
 did this produce no obedience, no converts 
 among the fpedlators ? When his fame made 
 fuch a rapid progrefs, that it immediately 
 fpread abroad throughout all the region round 
 about Galilee * ; did it produce no fruits ? 
 * Mark i. 27, 28. 
 
 L 2 When 
 
148 An Impartial Enquiry Into 
 
 When the man out of whom the legioft 
 was expelled, declared throughout all Deca^ 
 polls, what great things Chrift had done 
 for him, to the aftonifhment of all; did 
 he make no converts, even among an irre- 
 ligious people*? In what fenfe did the fe- 
 venty fay, that the devils were fubjedl to 
 
 •* Not long after this, Chrift had occafion to pafs 
 through the midji of the coajis of Decapolis. He now found 
 the behaviour of the inhabitants towards him much 
 changed. They defired him to put his hand upon a deaf 
 man, who had likewife an impediment in his fpeech, in 
 confidence of a cure. As they had before befought 
 him to depart out of their coafls; now that he returned 
 thither, to avoid giving them any umbrage, he wrought 
 the miracle in fuch a manner, as to have the leaft ap- 
 pearance of a miracle in it. He took the man afde 
 from the multitude, that had gathered about him j made 
 ufe of fome means for his cure, though of not much 
 efficacy in themfelves ; and having performed it, en- 
 joined filence about it. But in vain : For the more he charged 
 them, fo much the more a great deal they publijhed it ; and 
 were above meafure ajiouijlied, faying, He hath done all 
 things well : He maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumh 
 to fpeak, 
 
 Grotius and IVIntby fuppofe thefe people were apoftates 
 from Judaifm : fome antients reckon them to have been 
 downright atheifts. How impious foevcr they were; 
 their former rudenefs towards Chrift was now turned 
 into admiration, and of courfe converfxon likewife ; as 
 is intimated above, p. 31. 
 
 o them? 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 14.9 
 
 them ? With reference to what did Chrift 
 fiiy, / beheld Satan^ like lightnings fall from 
 heaven ? 
 
 With regard to what, did he give his 
 difciples power to tread on ferpents, and 
 fcorpions ; and over all the power of the 
 enemy? To whom, and to what enemy, 
 doth he in all thefe feveral places refer ; but 
 to this enemy, the devil, and his accurfed 
 crew of fallen angels ? Whom Chrift, and 
 his difciples, vanquilhed, and triumphed 
 over openly ; by thus expelling them out of 
 the bodies of men, as a vifible demonftra- 
 tion of the approaching downfal of Satan's 
 Jiingdom, 
 
 Paul and Silas having been caft into pri- 
 fon, for ejecting the fpirit of divination out 
 of the Pythonefs; when the prifon-doors 
 were miraculouily opened by an earth- 
 quake, and the bands of all the prifoners 
 were loofed ; on this divine atteftation to 
 the reality of the difpofleffion, the jay lor 
 in confternation ailced, what he muft do to 
 befaved? Whereupon he, and his family, 
 on hearing the Word of the Lord preached 
 to them, were jiraightway baptized^ believ- 
 ing in God, with all his houfe "*. 
 
 * Afls xvi. 16. 
 
 h 3 Kovv 
 
150 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 Now here was a complicated miracle, 
 which was pow^erfully felt ; and which af- 
 fected all men's fenfes, wrought in confir- 
 mation of fuch a one, as is ftyled an invi- 
 Jlble one ; and which was produdive of the 
 converfion of a whole family to the faith of 
 Chrifl-. 
 
 When the evil fpirit prevailed over the 
 Jev^ifh exorcifls, and at the fame time ac- 
 knowledged the power of Jefus, and Paul; 
 fear fell on all them that dwelt at p^phejus ; 
 The name of the hord Jefus was magnified: 
 Many believed^ confefed, and fhewed their 
 deeds: Many alfo which ufed curious arts, 
 publickly burned their boohs, and the word of 
 God mightily grew and prevailed'^. 
 
 What was the caufe of all this fo general 
 an alteration in men's religious fentiments 
 and pra<5lices ? 
 
 Not the evil fpirit's prevailing over the 
 Jewi[Jj exorcifts only ; but his acknow- 
 ledging the fuperior power of Jefus, in 
 conjunction with that of Paid; who had 
 lately given fuch lignal proofs of it. 
 
 Were all thefe '* works totally hid 
 " from human viewt?" Were they quite 
 
 * ASis xix. 17 — 20. 
 
 f Etl'av on DemoniackSj p. 393. 395. 
 
 ■ ' «* infljf 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel 'Demoniach. 151 
 
 indifcernible by mankind ? And quite un- 
 " fnpported by any evidence, arifing from 
 *' the works themfelves?" Thefe are fuch 
 glarins: contradiclions to the truth of fli£ts, 
 fo difparaging to our Saviour's miracles, fo 
 derogating from the fhare which they had, 
 to a great degree, in the propagation of the 
 gofpel, as do better become unbelievers, 
 into whofe mouths they are put, than any 
 fmcere Chriftian. 
 
 After thefe general obfervations, let us 
 now defcend to the confideration of fome 
 particulars ; which will bring us to the 
 critical part of this work, on which it 
 chiefly hinges ? 
 
 And here we are, in the firil place, told, 
 ** that the fpirits, which were thought to 
 " take polfellion of men's bodies, are, uni- 
 *' formly, and invariably, called in the 
 *' New Teftament, demons^ and not devils" 
 *< — That by demons, we are to underdand 
 '♦ the pagan deities — and theie fuch human 
 " fpirits as fuperftition hath deified — that 
 " the devil is here out of the queftion, hav- 
 ♦' ing npthing to do wjth poikflions :" And 
 that " the word, which in our tranflatioii 
 ♦ ' is rendered devils, ought to be rendered 
 *' denionsj*'' All this is exprclied or in:>pHed, 
 
152 jin Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 in the firft and fecond propofitions of this 
 work. 
 
 Now, if it be made appear, that demon^ 
 in the orighial, is a name belonging to the 
 devil ; and given to him by heathen writers 
 of good authority, the fimple ufe of it in 
 poffeffions cannot be underftood as abfo- 
 lutely exclufive of him: And if there are 
 any inflances in the New Teftament of the 
 devil's poffeffing men under any other name, 
 than that of demon, this breaks the uni- 
 formity of poffeffing fpirits being called 
 demons, and lie muft be allowed not to be 
 wholly unconcerned in pofleffions : Like- 
 wife, if any other fpirits can be proved to 
 enter men's bodies, befides the fpirits of 
 deified mortals ; and efpecially, if it can 
 be m.ade out, that no human fpirits, how- 
 «ver they may have been thought to be the 
 poffeffing demons, ever really did take pof- 
 feffion of any other men's bodies, at the fame 
 time, fuppofing the reality of thefe poffef- 
 fions— if thefe feveral points can be fatis- 
 tadorily made good : The foregoing pofi- 
 tions all fall to the ground, and our Eng- 
 lifli tranflation, in this refpe^l, is jufli- 
 fie^. 
 
 Firfl, 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demomach. 153 
 
 Firft, I am to fliew, that Aoci^uv is a 
 name belonging to the devil, and given to 
 him by antient heathen writers, of good 
 authority. 
 
 In the oppofition of the good and evil 
 principles, mentioned by Plutarchy the good 
 principle is called 0eof, and the evil prin- 
 ciple Accif/,uv^; as it were zxr b^o^vv ; than 
 which no better proof can be given of the 
 devil's title to this name, and that by origi- 
 nal prefcription, before there exifted any 
 other Being, to whom it might be appli- 
 cable ; the tradition concerning an evil 
 principle having undoubtedly originated from 
 him, as being the author of all evil, na- 
 tural and moral. Plutarch, in his Z)/o, in- 
 forms us, that this tradition of an evil 
 principle was of fo great antiquity, that its 
 firft author could not be found ; and that 
 it was embraced as truth, by the genera- 
 lity of the wifeft heathens : Diogenes Laer- 
 iiusy in his account of it, calls the evil 
 principle, xa.'ioi/ ^cciy.ovoL. And by Ocellus 
 Lucatius, another very antient writer, he is 
 called Koizo^ocif^uu, 
 
 * Plutarch, de Ifide & Ofiride. 
 
 Wc 
 
154 -^^ Impartial Knqulry into 
 
 We have another very antlent authority 
 in Hermes Trifmegjjius^ who, with his dif^ 
 ciple Afclepius, called the devil, ^mfioviot^" 
 Kviv, the prince and ruler of demons, agree- 
 ably to the fcripture-account of him: And 
 thefe latter he calls ccyfeXng Tsrove^ag; who, 
 he fays, are the enemies of men, and vex 
 them ; and who, on account of their de- 
 pravity, had been degraded, in plain allufion 
 to the fcripture-account likewife*. 
 
 Here, I prefume, are authorities fuffi- 
 cient to prove the devil's right to the name 
 Aaif^uv, which was the firfi: point to be 
 Ihewn ; and that, if we may make ufe of 
 a term in law, he may be called Aaifjiuv 
 paramount. Some writers in this contro- 
 verfy were not willing to allow, that other 
 evil demons had any thing to do with the 
 evil principle, of which they would fain (lop 
 fhort, in tracing their origin -f: But, in 
 this lad-mentioned authority, we fee their 
 connexion with each other ; and that all 
 «vil demons were efteemcd to be none other 
 
 * La61:. de orig. erroris, lib. ij. feci. 14, 15, 
 -j- Sykes farther enquiry about Demoiiiacks, p. 20, 
 lleview of the concroverfy about Demoniacks, p. 10. 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demon tacks . 155 
 
 fhan fallen angels, long before the gofpel 
 appeared in the world. 
 
 It appears from Homer, Pindar, and 
 other Greek writers, Avho lived many ages 
 before Chrifl:, that the opinion of evil de- 
 mons prevailed among them in very early 
 times ; and that they took the office of 
 thefe wicked Beings to be intirely of the 
 fame nature with that affigned to the devil, 
 and his angels, in Scripture ; and confe- 
 quently it is highly probable, that they 
 were the fame implacable and malicious 
 Beings. 
 
 Before we proceed any farther, it will be 
 proper, according to the method above laid 
 down, juft to point out feme inftances from 
 fcripture of the devil's perfonal pofTelTion of 
 men. It hath been already fhewn, that he 
 himfelf, by his names, Satan and Beelzebub.^ 
 was concerned in poiTeffions*. We have 
 feen likewife, that the devil, by both his 
 names, hoc^o'hog^ and Satan entered into the 
 body of the traitorf. And becaufe fome 
 pains have been taken to perfuade us, that 
 Satan is not the devil's proper name ; it 
 
 t P.?i- 
 
 may 
 
156 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 may not be amifs here to fubjoin to what 
 hath been advanced above in oppofition to 
 that notion, that )02^ Satan, in the old 
 teftament, is by the LXX tranflated ^lul^oXog, 
 no lefs than feventeen times. 
 
 To proceed, it was the devil himfelf, by 
 this his proper name, Satan, and no inferior 
 demon, or evil fpirit, who bowed together, 
 and bound a poor woman for eighteen 
 years ; as obferved above*. We faid be- 
 fides, That Jeftis went about doing good, and 
 healing all that were opprejjed of the devil -f. 
 Where his doing good, I apprehend, is to 
 be underftood in a general fenfe ; but more 
 efpecially of his healing bodily difeafes, as 
 he had not the means of doing much good 
 otherwife. — And his healing all that were 
 oppreffed of the devil, is particularly, and 
 by way of diftindion, to be underftood of 
 his cafting out the devil. This I take to 
 be the primary fenfe at leafl: of this paiTage, 
 as well as the mofl obvious. For though 
 many may, and, I fear, are too much in 
 the power of the devil, without being 
 bodily poffeffed by him, yet thofe, who 
 
 * P. 89. 
 I A£ls X. 38. 
 
 were 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demoniacks. icy 
 
 were fo taken pofTeffioii of, mufl have been 
 much more under his dominion, than any 
 others. They muft have been, beyond 
 conception by us, who I hope are all fafc 
 from this his oppreffion, overpowered, fub- 
 jugated, and tyrannized over by him ; 
 when, having got pofleffion of them, he tor- 
 tured and tormented them ; had them 
 wholly in his own power ; and ufed it over 
 them, in the moft unmerciful manner, that 
 his hellifli malice could invent^ as is related 
 in the gofpel. Surely none could be fo 
 much, and fo effedtually opprejfedy as thofe 
 who were fojfejfed by the devil. 
 
 To fay, " That the apoftie here refers 
 " to Chrift*s cure of the deceafed in ge- 
 <' neral; without taking into coniideration 
 " the particular cafe of the demoniacks *," 
 is an unjuft reprefentation of his meaning. 
 For doth not he make particular mention 
 of it ? The cure of the deceafed in general 
 is included in the former member of the 
 fentence, which is expreiicd in general 
 terms, he went about doing good. Dr. Sykes* 
 refolution of this paflage into Chrift's re- 
 covering men from the power of the devil, 
 
 * Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 74. 
 
 to 
 
158 J^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 to the obedience of God^, falls far {hort of 
 the energy of the expreffion, and is inter- 
 preting it away : And even in this general 
 fenfe, by healing all that were oppreffed by 
 the devil, he muft of courfe, have healed 
 them that were poffefled by him, among 
 the reft ; who fuffered his oppreffions in 
 other refpe£ls. It is rightly obferved, in 
 oppolition to him, that St. Peter is here 
 Ihewing, that Chrift*s divine commiffion 
 was demonftrated by his miracles : And 
 we may therefore add, by this miracle of 
 cafting out devils, as much as, whatever 
 more than, any others. 
 
 The devil is called, The prince of the 
 power of the air ; the fpirit that now worketh 
 in the children of difobedience -f. The word 
 in the original for worketh is Bvepyovvjog, 
 which lofes much of its force in our tranf- 
 lation. Its literal and full fignification is^ 
 To work with energy. The pofleired were 
 called EvspycviJisvoi by ecclefiaftical writers^ 
 It appears therefore from hence, that the 
 devil, or his angels, were thofe that pof- 
 
 '■^ lb. CjT. Iu)jU£j/c?j ■a:ot,vlx(; r^g xcclxSwocfovofxiVis; ut» 
 m Jia€oX8. There is nothing that anfwers the idea of 
 healing in the above interpretation. 
 
 t £ph. ii. 2. 
 
 feffed 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. i ^^ 
 feffed and worked thus powerfully within 
 them. 
 
 Thefe fcrlpture proofs are fufficient to 
 (hew, that the devil hlmfelf was concerned 
 in poiTeflions. 
 
 Let us now go on with Ibme more 
 heathen authorities, to prove that poffeffing 
 demons were not always underflood by 
 them to have been the Ipirits of deified 
 defunct mortals ; but that pofleffions were 
 often attributed by them to fpirits of another 
 kind. 
 
 Now I would here previoufly obferve, that 
 if the antient heathens were not all unani- 
 mous in this perfuafion, that demons always 
 fignified departed fouls ; and that though 
 fome, or even the greater part of them, were 
 of this opinion; yet, if there were others that 
 held there were different kinds of demons ; 
 and that fome of them were fallen angels ; 
 this hypothefis hath wot fifficient grounds to 
 ftand upon. For unleis the notion of de- 
 mons was always and univerfally retrained 
 by them to the former lenfej the aflertion, 
 that it was, is falfe. Nor doth it by any 
 means follow, tliat the writers of the new 
 Tefiamcnt ; fuppofing them to write in con- 
 formity to the ftyle and notions of tliofe 
 
 heathens 
 
i6o j^n Impartial Enquiry tJ2to 
 
 heathens and Jews that hved before them % 
 were confined to that fenfe likewife : But 
 that they might, and moft probably did, 
 as will appear hereafter, by demons under- 
 ftand apoftate angels, or evil fpirits in ge- 
 neral ; without entering into their fpecifick 
 natures. 
 
 That the antients were much divided in 
 this refped, I might appeal to the learned 
 writer himfelf. It appcai;s, from the au- 
 thorities which he hath collected ; and par- 
 ticularly from his own obfervations * ; that 
 feveral philofophers taught, that the heathen 
 demons, and I know ot no chriftian ones, 
 he means demons in the account of the 
 heathens, were evil fpirits of a rank fu- 
 perior to mankind. Thefe we find from 
 him were the principles of fome of the 
 learned gentiles ; the magi ; the philofophers ; 
 and particularly of P/^/(5. Thefe, he fays, 
 were the pagan inilru^lors of the fathers; 
 who afcribed to the celeftial demons what- 
 ever the heathens in general attributed to 
 the deified ghofts ; and confequently ac- 
 counted for poifeffions, without referring 
 them to human fpirits. Where he him- 
 
 ^ P. 49, note. 
 
 felf 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 1 6 1 
 
 felf feems to adopt the opinion of the heath- 
 ens in general, in oppofition to that of the 
 philofophers j and the fathers ; whofe fenti- 
 ments will be feen hereafter ; and " whofe 
 " attachment to the gentile philofophy," he 
 fays, *' led them to repielent poflefling de- 
 " mons as fpirits of a higher order than 
 *' mankind." 
 
 The fathers are greatly obliged to him: 
 But they had much better inftru6lors than 
 thofe he is pleafed to give them. For the 
 fake of having a gird at them, he hath over- 
 Ihot himfelf ; and while he was endeavour- 
 ing to (hew that they borrowed their notions 
 from the heathen philofophers, he forgot 
 that his own opinion, and the thefs he 
 hath laid down, contraditfled both the one, 
 and the other : And that inflead of the 
 dodlrine, which he would fain eftablifh, 
 that demons were always taken to lignify de- 
 parted fouls ; he hath made it appear againft 
 himfelf, that the wifeil: of the antients were 
 of a different opinion ; and that he hath only 
 the ignorant vulgar to keep him in counte- 
 nance. So far is he from having them all 
 unanimoufly on his fide, as they ought to 
 have been, in order to the making of his 
 point good. 
 
 M Indeed 
 
1 6 2 y^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 Indeed the heathens in general had v\0 
 grounds on which to form their notions 
 concerning them ; and their fpeculations 
 about them were all conje6lure. Their 
 philofophers had only their own darkened 
 reafon at beft ; by which they could frame 
 any opinion concerning Beings, too fubtil 
 for the eye of reafon, to have any difcera- 
 ment of; though fomewhat aflifted per- 
 haps by a wretched experience of their 
 malignity. 
 
 Plato, the wifeft of them, ingenuoufly 
 confeffed ; that the knowledge cf them, and 
 of their origin, was above his compre- 
 henfion *. 
 
 However let us fee what he, and fome of 
 his followers, thought concerning the na- 
 ture of poiTeffing demons. The twelve 
 gods, majcrujn gentium^ as they are called, 
 are vulgarly fuppofed to have been deified 
 mortals : They therefore, according to the 
 dodrine of the Effay, v/ere polieffing de- 
 mons. But thefe in Plato' s eftimation ex- 
 ifted from all eternity -f*. 
 
 According 
 
 * ITfpj h rcoV ccXXoJV (J'«lp-o^coy snteiVy v.ai yvxixi rr,'J 
 ysi/EO-Jv, (ptio-j TlXalcci/, iMicov-yi nab rifxscq. Clem. Alex. 
 Strom, lib. v. p. 589. ex Timaeo. 
 
 f Juno, ^ efta, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars, 
 Mercurius, Jovis, Neptunus, Vulcanu5, Apollo. — 
 
 Quos 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Demoniacks. 1 63 
 According to ^puleius^ tliefe were certain 
 middle powers, between the Gods and men ; 
 whom the Greeks called ^on^oyuq ; and he 
 defcribes them accordingly : And fays, that 
 fome of them befriended mankind, and 
 others hated, afflicted, and plagued them ; 
 and were enraged at fome men ; Vv^hile they 
 foothed and cajoled others *. This is a juft 
 defcription of poffefling demons. 
 
 Porphyry^ the great patron of demons, as 
 Eufebius calls him, defcribes them in the 
 like manner. He reckons there are fome 
 men ; whofe fouls have demons always ad- 
 hering to them ; efpecially at their meals; 
 and that they plague them unmercifully ; 
 when they get the better of them — That 
 the prince of them, whom he calls Sarapis, 
 Hecate, and Pluto, fupplies charms for ex- 
 pelling them — that thefe defnons commit 
 many outrages in their temples — that their 
 hoiifes were full of them, and their bodies 
 likewife. Thefe demons were of an order 
 fuperior to the fouls of m.ortals. He fays 
 farther of them, that their chief delight is 
 
 Quos deos Plato exiftimat, neque fine ulJo, nequeex- 
 ordio ; fed prorfus et retro xviternas. i\pulcius tie 
 deo Socratis, p. 65. 
 * lb. p. 68. 
 
 M 2 in 
 
1 64 An Impartial inquiry Into 
 
 in blood and ordure; which that they might 
 enjoy, they entered the bodies of thofe that 
 dealt with them. — That they likewife de- 
 liffhted in libations, and certain kinds of 
 meat, which therefore were offered in fa- 
 crifice to them ; on the fleam or 7iidor of 
 which they were fiippofed to feed ; while 
 their votaries feafted upon them *. For, as 
 thefe demons were thought to pofTefs the 
 bodies of thofe that lacrificed to them ; '* the 
 " heathens did not take thefe to be pure fpi- 
 ** rits ; but to have groffer vehicles, by which 
 <' they were fuppofed capable of receiving 
 " fenlible pleafure and benefit by the facrifi- 
 «' ces : On this account they thought the ni^ 
 *« dor of the facrifices fo fuitable to their na- 
 " tures, efpecially when themfelves had the 
 *« liberty of prefcribing them, who beft knew 
 " what was moft congruous and agreeable to 
 «' themfelves ; as that they could infmuate 
 «« themfelves into the facrifices, by means 
 «' of thefe fubtler vehicles ; and confe- 
 " quently convey themfelves into the bo- 
 «' dies of their votaries f :" while they feaft- 
 ed on them, 
 
 * Porphyry de oraculorum philofophia, apud Eufeb, 
 prasp. evang. lib. iv. cap. 22, 23. 
 
 \ Dodwell onSchifm, chap. xvi. fedl. xxiii. 
 
 That 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlach, i G^ 
 
 That evil fpirits took the opportunity of 
 conveying themfelves, in fome fuch manner, 
 into men's bodies, while they were at their 
 meals, is greatly confirmed from Sata?is 
 having entered into Judas, as foon as he had 
 received the fop *. It was in alhificn to 
 thefe heathen facrifices, that St. Paul fays, 
 Te cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, 
 and the table o/' Devils f. For fo, I hope, 
 we may by this time tranflate. 
 
 Our Englifh tranflation, in this refpe£l 
 was well vindicated in a difcourfe from the 
 pulpit fome years ago, entitled, " The ufu- 
 ** al interpretation of Aaijttoi/e^ and Aa/jt*oy/a, 
 " in the New Teftament, afferted -f-. 
 
 The learned author of a critical diflerta- 
 tion concerning the words Aatf/^uv and 
 Aocif^oviov hath i'o ably difcuffed this point, 
 that I lliall take the liberty of fuhjoining 
 here fome of his conclufions ; referring to 
 the work itfelf for his authorities, and the 
 proofs deduced from them. 
 
 *' From the authorities produced, fays 
 " he, it appears highly probable, 
 
 * John xiii. 27. 30. 
 
 f 1 Cor. X. 2. 
 
 |. Dr. Hutchinfon's Sermon, 1738. 
 
 M 3 ♦' Filft, 
 
i66 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 '' Firft, That the Greek authors, who 
 " preceded the birth of Chrift, did not al- 
 *' ways underftand, by the words Aa;jttovsf 
 " and Aoii[^ovic6, the fpirits, or ghofts, of de- 
 " parted men 3 even when thefe words 
 <« were applied to finite Beings. 
 
 " Secondly, That when they were taken 
 *' in a bad {tnfQ, they were generally fuppof- 
 •* ed to mean fuch Beings, as the apoftatc 
 " Angels are reprefented to be in fcripture ; 
 " fince the office, and difpofition of the 
 '* apoftate angels are attributed to thefe 
 *' Beings. And, 
 
 *^ Thirdly, That the Egyptians^ Chalda- 
 <^ ans^ FhcenicianSy Perjians^ Greeks, &c. 
 *« did all firmlv beheve the exigence of one 
 *' particular evil Being, under whofe con- 
 <* duel, and diredlion, were many others ; 
 «' and that, from what we find delivered 
 " by the moft antient writers of all thefe na^ 
 <« tions ; tliefe evil Beings did, in nature, 
 " office, and difpofition, agree with the 
 '^ devil f and his angels ; as the facred wri- 
 *« ters defcribe them *." 
 
 With regard to the fenfe, in which the 
 words Axmovig and AuifJiovia are ufed in the 
 New Tejlament, he deduces the following 
 obiervations, 
 
 ''■: Crit. c]iffe;i. n. 17. 
 
 '^ I. The 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 167 
 
 « 1. The antient Greek authors, who 
 " preceded the birth of Chrift, feem to have 
 ** annexed the fame idea to the word Acci- 
 *' IJLoov and Aoiiijcouiov, when taken in a bad 
 ** fenfe, as the evangehfts did in the N'ew 
 *' Tefament, 
 
 " 2. If it could be proved, that two 
 *« different ideas were annexed to this word 
 *' by facred and profane authors, yet this 
 " would not affe6l the prefcnt controverfy 
 " concerning the meaning of Demoniacks 
 *' in the New Tejlament ; which muft be 
 *' determined by the true fenfe and mean- 
 «' ing of the word Aoci^uv, or Axif^ovtovj 'in 
 *' the evangeli/is, 
 
 " 3. In the evangehfs, the word Aa/^&^f, 
 " or Axif/.oviov, always denotes an intelligent 
 «' Being, of a moft malignant, noxious, 
 ♦< and accurfed nature, 
 
 *' 4. The Devil himfelf is here placed at 
 <* the head of thefc Beings : They are here 
 ** reprefented to be entirely of his nature 
 «' and difpofuion ; to have in common with 
 " him, the name Aonuuv, ox Aaiuoviov ; and 
 " to ad in fubferviency to him : And fuch 
 ** Beings as thefe are moreover in fcripture 
 >f called his angels, that is, fallen aftgels, 
 M 4 " Th^ 
 
1 68 ^n Impartial Enquiry Into 
 
 **• The Demons therefore in the New Tef- 
 
 *' tament^ ?ixe fallen angels. 
 
 '* 5. Thofe unfortunate wretches, who 
 " are called Demonwck: by the evangelifts, 
 *' were really and truly poffeflcd by thefe 
 <* accurfed fpirits ; who brought upon them 
 *' thofe difeafes, which, in the gofpels, they 
 « are laid to have been afflicted with *." 
 
 We have here feen fuch pofitive proof? 
 from heathen and facred writers, that pof- 
 ieiiing demom were fpirits of a very differ- 
 ent nature from, and fuperior to, human 
 fouls, as may be thought fuflicient to de- 
 termine this controverfy : But I am willing 
 to follow our author a little farther ; and to 
 examine, in a more diredt manner, the po-. 
 fition which he lays down, in his fecond 
 propoiition, '* That by pofl'efling demons, 
 " in fcripture, and elfe^vhere, ,are to be 
 ** underflood fuch of the Pagan deities, as 
 «« bad once been men." 
 
 But here, before we proceed farther, I 
 would fain know, that fuppofing them fuch, 
 where the difference would iye, with regard 
 to the argument, between fuch poilefilons, 
 and polfeffions by any other evil fpirits. For 
 evil fpirits they muft have been, of fome 
 
 * Ibid, pa 26. 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 1 69 
 fort, or other, from their evil and mif- 
 chievous treatment of thofe, whom they 
 poflefled : And the difpoflefTing, of the one, 
 or the other, would make no difference in 
 the nature of the miracle : It being of little 
 fignification, with regard to the queftion 
 before us, what the nature or kind of thofe 
 fpirits was— Whether they were the fouls 
 of men, or fdlen angels. Our opinion con- 
 cerning them, or even our knowledge of 
 them, could we attain it, would make no 
 difference in the nature of the cafe. The 
 phenomenon would be much the fame, and 
 the miracle of ejecting the one, or the other, 
 would be the fame likewife. 
 
 But now to the queflion, " Whether by 
 *' polfeffing demons^ we are to underftand 
 <' the pagan deities; and thofe fuch human 
 *' fpirits, as fuperftition hath deified," That 
 the heathens paid divine honours to deceafed 
 mortals, is readily acknowledged. Thefe 
 were generally their heroes, and kings, and 
 great conquerors, who had been, by their 
 invention of ufeful arts, or the good they 
 did, benefactors to mankind ; or elfe, by the 
 atchievements which they performed, ad- 
 mired by them. And thele they reckoned 
 (lemons, 
 
 Pytha^ 
 
J 70 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 Pythagoras, according to his commenta- 
 tor, underftood thefe demons, m a good 
 lenfe, of the fouls of virtuous men : But at 
 the fame time he takes care to diftinguifh 
 them from fuch as were tcov (pvasi ^cctf^ovoov, 
 demons by nature: And he reckons them, 
 t(ro^cie.i[/,ovss, and Kr-oiyfeXag, They could 
 therefore be no more demons in reality, 
 than they could be really angels*. They 
 were advanced for their virtuous deeds, to 
 be demons and gods of an inferior rank, and 
 fuppofed to be propitious to mankind: 
 Thefe therefore could not be fuch demons 
 as entered the bodies of men, and torment- 
 ed them fo cruelly as is defcribed. This is 
 chara6teriftical of demons of a contrary na- 
 ture. For that there were good and bad 
 demons was generally held by the heathens. 
 And Plato obferves, in this refpe£l, that as 
 heat cannot chill, nor cold burn ; fo no hurt 
 can accrue from good demons, nor any good 
 proceed from wicked ones f . PofTeffing fpi- 
 rits mud have a malignancy fuperior to 
 that of the wickedeft mortal that ever exift- 
 cd : A.nd if they once were mortals, thev 
 ipuft be converted into very devils, 
 
 * Hierocles in Aurea Carm. Pythag, 
 I Porphyry ubi lupr^. 
 
 And 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demoniach. 1 7 1 
 
 And if we give ourfelves but a moment's 
 time to reflect, we muft be fully convinced ; 
 that to imagine the fouls of men defuntSt, 
 and abfolutely deprived of their own bodies, 
 could have any power, or defire, of entering 
 into the bodies of other men, living or dead, 
 is fuch an abfurdity, as is contrary to all 
 rational, and natural principles whatfoever ; 
 and to all the phicnomena of nature. If they 
 could have entered any bodies, it is more 
 natural to think, they would have re-enter- 
 ed their own ; rather than that they would 
 attempt to gain admiffion into fuch as were 
 pre-occupied by the fouls to which they 
 were at fir ft united. 
 
 Apollo y as Celfus writes, advifed the Meia- 
 pont'mes to worlhip Anjieas^ as a god. They, 
 being fatished that Anjleas was a mere 
 mortal, and perhaps not a very good one, 
 would not, in fo glaring a cafe, believe 
 the oracle that he was a god, or worthy of 
 divine honour : And therefore, maugre the 
 commands of the deity, nobody acknow- 
 ledged Anjleas for a god ^'. And if the god 
 of wifdom had endeavoured to perfuade 
 them, that Arijleas was a poiieffing demon ; 
 I doubt not, but this fentible people would 
 have paid the fame re^^ard to his fage advice, 
 
 f Origen. contra Celfum, lib. iii. d. 128. 
 
 \Ve» 
 
172 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 Well therefore might the author of the 
 Effay, when he had changed the queftion, 
 aliert, " That it hath never yet been proved 
 ** from reafon, that the Ipirits of dead men 
 ** have power to enter, and torment the liv- 
 <' ing — to govern their bodily organs, in as 
 ** perfect a manner, as their own fouls can 
 « do — to deprive them of their underftand- 
 *' ings; and to render them blind, deaf, 
 *' and dumb. Reafon fliews us, that they 
 *' have no fuch power *." 
 
 I readily fubfcribe to him. Notwith- 
 ilanding this, certain it is, that though the 
 beft and wifeli of the antient philofophers 
 taught, that the demons in general were evil 
 fpirits of a rank fuperior to mankind, as is 
 acknowledged by our author ; yet the vuU 
 gar for the mod part ran into an opinion, 
 that they were only the fpirits of deceafed 
 mortals, who were concerned in pofTeflions ; 
 and fome of name were carried into a per- 
 fuafion of it. Jofephus is generally fuppofed 
 to have been of this opinion, though this 
 hath been difputed : t And yujiin M, is 
 preffed into it ; but I think wrongfully, as 
 will appear hereafter, 
 
 * Eflay, p. 150. 
 
 I See TvjeWs anfwer to Sykes's encjuiry, p. 6. 
 
 a But 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach, 173 
 But the queftion is not. What the hea- 
 thens, and this, or that man, of any other 
 denomination, thought oi demons ; or in what 
 fenfe they underftood them, or their ufurped 
 office, of poflefling the bodies of men ; but 
 in what fenfe the fcripture takes, and repre- 
 fents them. The infpired writers were not 
 to be taught by the unenhghtened heathens ; 
 what they were to think of divine and fpi- 
 ritual matters of any kind ; efpecially of 
 the nature of Beings, which were fo much 
 out of their ken ; and which they had but 
 very obfcure notions of at beft. 
 
 Much lefs was he, who was the light of 
 the world, to learn from them, who lived 
 in darknefs ; whofe errors he came to re- 
 move, and whofe falfe notions, in this very 
 refpedt, it was his gracious purpofe to cor- 
 real. He, who was to turn men from dark- 
 nefs to light, and from the power of Satan 
 to God, would have a6led directly oppofite 
 to his miflion ; if he liad a6led, or exprefled 
 himfelf, in fuch a manner, as to confirm, or 
 countenance them, in their falfe opinions of 
 Satan^ and his accurfed crew of wicked fpi- 
 rits. Thus to reprefent him doth in fome 
 meafure refemblethe charge of the Pharifees 
 themfelves ; that he Vv^as in confederacy 
 
 with 
 
174 ^^ Impartial Enquiry into 
 with Satan. He came to overthrow the 
 kingdom of Satan\ and to dethrone all thofe 
 principalities and powers^ of which it was 
 conflituted ; and all thofe rulers of darknefs, 
 and wicked fpirits ; who were fubje6l, and 
 fubfervient to him. This kingdom Sata?i 
 had fet up over mankind ; whereby, among 
 other bad fruits of it, they became vain in 
 their imaginations^ and their fooliJJj heart was 
 darkned** 
 
 In order therefore to overthrow this king- 
 dom, it was requifite to enlighten their 
 hearts, and underftandings ; and to give 
 them fome knowledge of thefe their fpiri- 
 tual enemies ; and of their nature. To 
 open their eyes; and Lt them fee, what 
 formidable adverfaries they had to encounter ; 
 and againft whom they could not hope to 
 prevail ; if they were fufFered to continue 
 in ignorance of them. This our Saviour 
 was not wanting in providing againfl. He 
 fent his Spirit to guide his Apoftles into all 
 truth : And he particularly endowed them 
 with the faculty of difcerning fpirits f. 
 And his beloved difciple exhorts them, not 
 to believe every fpirit ; but to try the fpirits, 
 
 * Rom. i. 21. 
 t 1 Cor. xii. 10. 
 
 whether 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demoniach, iy^ 
 
 *wh ether they are of God-, becaufe there were 
 fome fplrits, that were not of God^, We 
 have frequent warnings of the devil, and his 
 ansels : And can we think that the demons y 
 which we likewife read fo much of, were 
 none of them ? — That they had no relation 
 to Satan ; and made no part of his retainers ? 
 Why did our Lord make it fo much liis bu- 
 finefs to caft them out of men's bodies, 
 wherever he met with them ? Was all this 
 done in empty (hew? Was there no truth, 
 or reality in it? Had it no meaning ? Were 
 thefe demons all this while no demons ; but 
 mere fiSlions of the human imagination, and 
 down-right non-entities ? For as fuch they 
 have been reprefented. What kind of part 
 is this, which we give our Saviour to a£t, 
 on fuch a fuppofition ? Is it in the leafl: degree 
 worthy of him ; of his chara6lerj or the 
 dignity of his perfon ? Is it worthy, or con- 
 ceivable of any man of common fenfe, con- 
 duct, or character, whatfoever ? 
 
 What could be more fuitable to Chrifl's 
 undertaking to dethrone Satan, and over- 
 throw his kingdom ; than to begin his 
 work with the deftru<ftion of this his for- 
 lorn hope ; the expulfion of thefe his mem- 
 
 ^^ I Jo. iv. I. 3. 
 
 hers ? 
 
176 j^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 bers ? Or, what more agreeable to the gene- 
 ral Intent of his miffion, to redeem man- 
 kind from their thraldom and flavery under 
 the dominion of Satan, and to reftore them 
 to the glorious liberty of the fons of God ? 
 For this ptirpofe the Son of God was manifejitd^ 
 that he might dejiroy the works of the devil. 
 What works of his more manifeftly fuch, 
 than thefe diabolical poffellions ? And where- 
 in was the Son of God more manifefted, 
 while on earth, than by thofe fignal mira- 
 cles, which he wrought in difpolTeffing the 
 devil, and his angels ; the eftecls of which 
 were fo confpicuous ? 
 
 The fecond propolition in this work is, 
 " That by demons, yvhenever the word oc- 
 <' curs in reference to pofl'effions, either in 
 " the fcriptures, or other antient writings, 
 " we are to underftand, not fallen angels, 
 *' but the pagan deities ; fuch of them as 
 " had once been men*." 
 
 The reverfe of this hath been ihewn, with 
 regard to Pagan authors of antiquity f- ; we 
 are to confider it, as it relates to fcripture. 
 Whatever is advanced, as fcripture, ought 
 
 * P. 21. 
 
 t P. 186. 
 
 i 
 
 to 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach, xyy 
 to be proved from fcripture. To make good 
 this propofitioii with regard to fcripture, it 
 fhould be proved that vi^henever the word to 
 be tranflated demon, according to this au^ 
 thor, occurs in fcripture, in reference to 
 pofleffions ; we are never to underftand fal* 
 len angels, but always Pagan deities, which 
 had once been men. This ought to be pro- 
 ved in every inftance ; for it includes all : 
 Or at leaft, it fhould be proved in fo many, 
 that from thence it may be fairly inferred, 
 it is every where fo to be underftood. 
 
 The learned writer acknowledges, that 
 this word occurs in the New Teilament 
 above fifty times, in reference to poflef^ 
 fions*. It occurs much oftenerf. Thefe 
 inftances, however, are enough to pick and 
 choofc out of: And if demons always fignify 
 departed fouls, it would furely be an eaiy 
 matter to point out fome of the places, in 
 which they clearly appear to bear that figni- 
 fication, in refped to poffefiions. But I fee 
 
 * P. 208. 
 
 t The word is ufed, in itfelf, or its relatives, In the 
 abftradl, or concrete, fixty-nine times, in reference to 
 poficffions. 
 
 N nothing 
 
ij^ An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 nothing of this done * : And I am pretty 
 confident it is what cannot be done : Nay 
 I defy any man to fingle out any one text 
 among all thefe, in which, by any force of 
 criticifm, or any fhadow of fcripture argu- 
 ment, he can make it in the leaft probable, 
 that by either of the words, Aoci^jluv or Aa;- 
 fioviov, is fignihed the foul of a departed man, 
 and not a fpirit of a different kind ; when 
 ufed with regard to polTeffions. If this can- 
 not be done, why is the authority of fcrip- 
 ture claimed for a do£lrine, which cannot be 
 proved from it ; and which, I am fatisfied, 
 hath no foundation in it ? Much hath been 
 faid in favour of Beelzebub, and in oppofition 
 to his being the fame with the devil, " That 
 <• he was a heathen demon, or deity," and 
 as fuch, was no other than a deified human 
 fpirit; whence.it is juftly concluded, that 
 
 '^ If we take the learned writer's word for it, he tells 
 you, that " he hath fhewn, when ufed in this con- 
 *' ne^tion, by the facred writers, as well as others, it 
 »* conftantly denotes a human ghoil." lb. p. 208. 
 But turn to the places which he refers to, and you meet 
 with nothing that comes up to the point. Tndead of that 
 he tells you in one of thefe places, rhat the facred wri- 
 ters have not particularly explained the fenfe, in which 
 they ufed the word demon. With regard to which, more 
 hereafter. 
 
 « if 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlacks. 1 7^ 
 
 <* if the prince of the demons was of human 
 <« extradl ; no doubt his fubjeds were fo like- 
 " wife *." 
 
 On the other hand, it is allowed, that if 
 Beelzebub be a fallen angel, demons, with- 
 out doubt, are fpirits of the fame order -f-." 
 But, as much as this point hath been labour- 
 ed, the proofs of it are all drawn from hea- 
 then and JewJJh writers ; and not fo much 
 as a fingle text of fcripture hath been pro- 
 duced in fupport of it. I need not here re- 
 peat what hath been already fhewn from 
 fcripture §, That Beelzebub is none other 
 than the devil. And the authority of fcrip- 
 ture alone is what this argument is to be 
 determined by, both in itfelf, and accord- 
 ing to the above mentioned propofition. 
 
 The learned writer proceeds to *' enquire 
 *• in what fenfe it is moll: reafonable to un- 
 *« derftand demons, when ufed in reference 
 "to pofleflions, by Chrifl, and his apof- 
 «'tles+." 
 
 And here, as already obferved, he fays, 
 •* The facred writers have not particularly 
 
 * P- 39. 
 t P. 3i« 
 § P. 63. 
 
 N 2 ** €xp!ain:d 
 
1 So j^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 ** explained the fenfe, in which they ufe 
 ** the word demon *." 
 
 The fenfe needs no explanation, being fuf- 
 ficiently obvious in itfelf. No honeft en- 
 quirer ever failed to find, or even doubted 
 of it. And he that runs^ may readily in the 
 Ghara£lers, which thefe accurfed fpirits al- 
 ways bear, wherever any mention is made 
 of them ; concerning which more will be 
 faid prefently. And to obviate every pre- 
 tence of this kind, we (hall hereafter find, 
 in oppoiition to what is here advanced, that 
 the fenfe, in which the facred writers ufe the 
 word demon^ is particularly explained in 
 fcripture itfelf. 
 
 He obferves farther, «* That the writers di 
 " the New Teftament employ this term to 
 *' defcribe the heathen gods, and other dei- 
 ** fied, or beatified human fpirits -(-." 
 
 They fometimes indeed ufe this term to 
 defcribe the heathen gods, which their wor- 
 l>.ipers took to be deified or beatified hu- 
 man fpirits ; but not which they themfelves 
 thought to have been fuch . The artful man- 
 ner in which the obfervation isniade renders- 
 
 » P. 43- 
 t P. 45- 
 
 thls 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Demnnlach. 1 8 1 
 
 this diftindion ne^effary. I hope the writers 
 of the New Fcftament were not to borrow 
 their theology from the heathens : Nor doth 
 it follow, that, becanfe St. Paul u'cs the 
 term demon to defcribe fuch Beings, as the 
 heathens thoughr to have been deified, or be- 
 atified human fpirits, he himfclf gave heed 
 to thofe feducing fpirits, and to thofe doctrines 
 of detnonsy which he condemned, and fore- 
 warned chriftiiins again (1. Though tliis 
 feems to be infinuated ; nay even, " from 
 *« thefe premifes it is concluded, that by 
 « demons, when ufed in reference to pofl'elr 
 ** fions by the writers of the New Tefta- 
 <« ment, they meaned fuch human fpirits, 
 *« as were thought to become demons after 
 *« death *." But by whom was this thought ? 
 Not by the New Teflament writers them- 
 felves. This durft not be faid. It is only 
 another infmuation : Nor can it ever be 
 fairly concluded, from the bare ufe of the 
 terms, that the writers of the New Tefta^ 
 ment, who ufed them, meaned them in a 
 fenfe, which they never explained them- 
 felves to mean ; and which, from the whole 
 tenour of their writings, it clearly appears, 
 
 * P. 46, 
 N 3 they 
 
1 82 An Impartial Enquiry Into 
 
 they never did mean. Notvvithftanding,-, 
 it is contended, without any proof, that 
 they meaned as the h^eathens did. And all 
 that is offered to prove, that poffefiing fpi- 
 rits are meaned in fcripturc of the fouls of 
 men, is grounded upon this fuppofition. 
 For before this could be made a good argu- 
 ment, it was neceffary to make the infpired 
 writers, not only to fpeak, but to think, as 
 the heathens did. 
 
 We read in fcripture of the Jplrlts In prl- 
 fon * : But we do not read of any human fpi- 
 rits,releafed from the prifon of the flefh, being 
 futiered to roam at large ; and to be made 
 the fcourges, and tormentors of living mor- 
 tals. 
 
 We read of the fouls of them that were 
 flaln, for the word of God ; and for the teflu 
 mony which they held, being under the altarf : 
 And of the fouls of them that were beheaded 
 for the zvitnefs of Jefus — living and reigning 
 with Chrift a ihoujand years J. But we do 
 not read of any fouls poffefling other perfons 
 bodies ; nor of their being turned into ^(?;/70W 
 jfor that purpofe. 
 
 * 1 Pet. ili. ig, 
 •^ Rev. vi. 9. • 
 X Rev. XX. 4. 
 
 Soma 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 183 
 
 Some writers feem to have a great venera- 
 tion for thefe demons ; and are loath to allow 
 the word fometimes bears a bad fenfe in 
 fcripture, and fometimes means evil fpirits *. 
 And io much caution is ufed in fpeaking of 
 them, that it y^fwj no more, thsiw fomewhat 
 probable, that demon is to be taken in a bad 
 fenfe, in the writings of Paul ; and it is 
 left fomewhat doubtful, whether the term, 
 when applied to pofleffing demons, is ufed in 
 a good, or bad fenfe, by the other writers of 
 the New Teftament. Pray point out the 
 text, in which it is once ufed in a good 
 fenfe. 
 
 One of the two places, in which de?nom 
 
 are allowed to fignify evil fpirits, is fames 
 
 ii. 19. The devils alfo believe and tremble. 
 
 It was certainly not for their goodnefs, that 
 
 they trembled. But if demons fignify evil 
 
 fpirits, in one, or two, places ; why not in 
 
 more? Why not in all ? Shew any places 
 
 in fcripture where they certainly mean good 
 
 fpirits. 
 
 St. James might know the truth of what 
 he delivered, from his own obfervation ; 
 when he attended his Lord, in cafling out 
 
 ^ See EflAy on Miracles, p. 207. note» 
 
 N 4 devils. 
 
184 An Impartial Knqulry into 
 
 devils. He was a witnefs of their confeffing: 
 him to be the Chrift, the Ion of God, and 
 of the trenriors and convulfions, which his 
 prefence threw them, and thofe they pof- 
 leffed, into : And it is not improbable that 
 the apoftle here alludes to their trembling 
 on thefe occafions. And from thefe and the 
 like dreadful effeds, which poffeflions and 
 difpoffeffions were attended with, the author 
 of the Ej^ay on Miracles might have fafely 
 ventured to conclude, they were all evil 
 fpirits. 
 
 ' Such I maintain them all to have been, 
 without a fingle exception. I grant Aa/jttwy 
 was often ufed by profane authors in a good 
 fenfe ; and fometimes in an indifferent one. 
 Aaiw,oj.<oi/ like wile was fometimes ufed in a 
 good fenie by them; as in the accounts we 
 have of the demon oi Socrates, The former 
 term occurs but five times in the New Tti- 
 tament ; the latter fixty times : But neither 
 the one, nor the other is ever ufed, but in a 
 bad fenfe ; and they always fignify evil 
 fpirits. 
 
 Tijc only place, where the word is fup- 
 pofed to bear a favourable meaning, is in 
 ^^/jxvii. 18. where vve are informed, That 
 certain philofophtrs, of the Epicureans and St o^ 
 
 icks^ 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demonlacks, 1 85 
 
 icks, encountered Paul: and fome fa id, TFhat 
 
 will this babbler fay ? And other fome, he 
 
 feemeth to be a fetter -forth of ^evuv ^oufxovitovy 
 
 Jlrange Gods : Becaufe he preached unto them^ 
 
 Jesus, and the Resurrection. 
 
 Thefe philofophers were heathens, from 
 whom therefore we are not obliged to take 
 the fcripture fenfe of the word, Aa/^wj/. Not- 
 withftandiug I do not fee how they can be 
 underftood to have ufed it otherwife than in 
 a bad fenfe. The terms refer to Jefus., it is 
 true. But as all words are to be taken in the 
 fenfe of thofe that uttered them : And as 
 thefe heathen philofophers were but ill dif- 
 pofed towards ChriH:, and his apoftles ; they 
 could not have any good meaning m the 
 word, when they applied it to him. 
 
 Much is built upon Mr. Mede's authority 
 in this controverfy ; I therefore appeal to it, 
 with regard to the fcripture fenfe of the 
 word Auif/,oviov. 
 
 <' The WQi-d Aoiif^oviov, fays he, is in the 
 ** fcripture liever taken in the better, or in- 
 *' different fenfe, howfoever prophane au- 
 " thors do lo ule it ; but always in an evil 
 <* fenfe, for the devil, or an evil fpirit *.** 
 
 ♦ Mede's works, book iii. p. 782. 
 
 Ifhall 
 
i86 j^n Impartial Enquiry mi9 
 
 I (halt therefore venture to refume, that 
 both the words Aony,uv and Aai^jtovtov, are al- 
 ways ufed in the New Teftament in a bad 
 fenfe, of fome wicked fpirit, or other. But 
 we read of no wicked fpirits in fcripture, be- 
 fidesthe devil and his angels. Nor is there 
 nny intimation given, in any part of the fa- 
 cred writings, of any wicked fpirits of a dif- 
 ferent kind from the devil and his angels. 
 On the contrary, we find them and demons 
 often conneded together and .convertibly 
 ufed, and predicated of each other. The de- 
 vil, by his name Beelzebub and Satan^ is call- 
 ed, the prince of demons. There is a fame- 
 nefs of charailer between them. It hath been 
 fhewn, that the devil in perfon, by his name 
 AfatoAo^j entered men's bodies, as well as the 
 demons. Their entrance, each, was produc- 
 tive of the fame kind of fymptoms, or effect's, 
 in the perfoas entered by them : Nor could 
 the devil himfeif have been more mifchiev- 
 ons, or tormenting to them, than thefe de- 
 mom appear to have been. Thele Beings 
 therefore mud be the fame, and of the faitie 
 nature : And demons are but another name 
 for devils or fallen angels. 
 
 They were generally fo underftood, by the 
 antients, and moderns likewife ; till of late 
 
 years. 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Derroniach, 1 87 
 
 years. In our Englifh bibles, , tq read de- 
 vils, inflead of demons ; and it is efteemed a 
 good tranflation * : And many other verfions 
 tranflate in the liime manner ; becaufe they 
 are looked upon as fynonymous terms. The 
 facred writers thought they were fufficient- 
 ly explicit, concerning the nature of thefe 
 accurled fpirits ; when they were fo repeat- 
 edly particular and circumftantial, in defcri- 
 bing their bad qualities, and diabolical 
 pradices. Scripture however hath conde- 
 fcended to enter into the nature of thefe Je^ 
 mons yet farther ; and to defcribe them in 
 Tich a manner, as that they cannot be un- 
 derflood to have been of human extradlion, 
 by any kind of interpretation ; But that they 
 muft be of a very different nature ; even that 
 oftheapoftate angels; and be intimitely 
 conne6led with the father, and ringleader 
 of all wicked fpirits. We read in the Re^ 
 velation ; 
 
 And I faw three unclean fpirits, like frogs ^ 
 come out of the mouth of the dragon ; and out 
 of the mouth of the be aft j and out of the mouth 
 of the falfe prophet. For they are the fpirits oj 
 devils^ working miracles -, which go forth to 
 
 ♦ See above, p. 174, 
 
 the 
 
1 88 ^n t ^partial Enquiry Into 
 
 the kings of the earth ; and of the whole 
 'world \ to gather them to the battle of that 
 great day of God Almighty *. 
 
 This is an emblematical reprefentation of 
 what this divinely-favoured writer faw in a 
 vifion ; and his ftyle is accommodated to that 
 of the other infpired penmen ; when they 
 treat of the fame fubjeft. Unclean fpirits 
 are often mentioned in thegofpel, and often 
 called demons there : And in one place we 
 read oi a fpirit of an unclean devil -^ ; parallel 
 to the text before us. And thofe unclean 
 fpirits being here compared to fuch filthy 
 reptiles, as frogs, indicates the extreme un- 
 cleannefs of them. Tbe dragon^ we have 
 feen, is an appellation, by which the devil 
 is peculiarly diftinguifhed. The heaji and 
 the falfe prophet^ are fubordinate powers 
 under his government; which the prefent 
 fubjed doth not require an explanation of. 
 From their coming out of the mouth of the 
 dragon, may be inferred, that they origina- 
 ted from him, as their principal : And their 
 coming out of the mouths of the beafl:, and 
 falfe prophet, indicates their having previ- 
 oufly entered them ; and their being all in- 
 timately conneded together. 
 
 * Revel, xvi. 13, 14, 
 t Luke iv. '^'^. 
 
 oufly 
 
the Cafe of the G off el Demomacks, i S9 
 
 Thefe fpirits are all faid to be fpirits of 
 devils, or demons, or devlUfd fpirits^ as the 
 words may betranflated — fpirits of a diaboli- 
 cal nature. Thefe, therefore, could not be 
 the fpirits of men likewife ; nor could thefe 
 demons be departed fouls ; as, I hope, fuch ne^ 
 ver originated from the dragon ; nor poflefP- 
 ed him ; as he, together with the beaft, and 
 falfe prophet, mufl: have been polfefled by 
 them, before they came out of their mouths* 
 They were the feveral emilfaries of thefe 
 wicked powers, refpe£lively fent by them to 
 difturb the peace of the world. 
 
 Whence it appears, that they were under 
 the command of the dragon ; and were em- 
 ployed in his work ; and therefore have all 
 the characfters of fallen angels. Even the 
 imrli'mg of miracles is afcribed to them; a 
 power, J prefume, above that of departed 
 fouls. But I leave the learned author, witli 
 whom I am concerned, to reconcile this po- 
 fitive proof of their power, in this refped:, 
 to his notion, that no miracles are wrought 
 but by God alone. 
 
 From the whole of this paflage, it appears, 
 That poffeffing demons 2^x0, fo intimately con - 
 fiedcd with the devil ; fo much under his 
 command ; and that he is fo much concern- 
 ed 
 
I go An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 cd in demoniacal pofleffions ; that we may 
 fafely venture to affirm, that he is the chief 
 author of them. 
 
 It Is time now to take notice of fome more 
 diredl arguments from fcripture, which are 
 ufed in the Effay, to fupport the doflrine of 
 it : The chief of which occur in Sect, X. 
 Prop. X. which contains this pbfition. 
 
 " That the doSirlne of demoniacal poffef- 
 " fions, inflead of being fupported by the 
 *' Jewi{h or Chrlftian revelation, is utterly 
 « fubverted by both.'* 
 
 This is coming to the point : And if this 
 pofition be made good ; it mud: be decilive 
 againft pofleffions. In oppoiition to it, I 
 muft, in the firft place, obferve in general, 
 that pofleffions are not properly matters of 
 doSlrlne ; but matters oi fadi : From which 
 the do£lrine concerning them refults of 
 courfe. And if It be founded upon a fuffi- 
 cient number of fads, as I hope it appears 
 to be, all that is faid in this chapter, or elfe- 
 where, or indeed that can be faid againft it, 
 will be of no avail to invalidate the truth 
 of it. 
 
 This do6trine, as he calls it, is roundly 
 
 difcarded in this chapter, out of the 0]d 
 
 Teflament ; together with all fads that can 
 
 4 be 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks . 1 9 r 
 
 be alledged in fupport of it. But how juft- 
 ly, will appear in the appendix ; where of 
 courfe it will fall under confideration. 
 
 What belides is of greateft regard in this 
 chapter, is the interpretation, which is put 
 upon a paflage in one of St. Paul's epiftles ; 
 which, if wrong ; the reft of it will be look- 
 ed upon, as of little account. The paffage 
 is this— ^^ kjiow that an idol is notfoing in 
 the world^. On thefe words, it is obferved, 
 I. " That by an idol, we are here to un- 
 " derftand a heathen demon, or deity ; and 
 ** not the mere image, or ftatue ; which 
 " reprefented him." For that would fpoil 
 the argument — -And, 2. " That thofe idols, 
 *' or demons^ here Ipoken of, were not de- 
 " vils ; but fuch human fpirits, as the Gen- 
 " tiles deified t." But be they either the one 
 or the otlier, it is maintained, 3. That 
 when it is faid, an idol is nothi?ig in the 
 world, the meaning is, either, that this re- 
 puted deity hath no exiftence in nature ; or 
 that he hath no degree of that power, which 
 his votaries afcribe to him ; and is of no 
 more account than if he did not exift;};. 
 
 * I Cor. xii. 2. ElTay, p. 1 22. 
 
 t lb. p. 199. 
 
 X Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 74. 
 
 And 
 
19^ \An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 And the non-exiftence, and abfolute nullity of 
 thefe deities, or demons, is the point, which 
 is laboured to be proved, throughout the 
 remaining part of this chapter. 
 
 Now if thefe premifes are all right and 
 true ; the conclufion is certainly juft, and 
 indifputable, that, demons being mere nulli- 
 ties, there never could be a real demoniack, 
 or polTefl'ed perfon ; becaufe there was no 
 i'uch thing in nature, for him to be poflefi- 
 ed by. 
 
 But, on the other hand, if thefe demons 
 are all deified human ipirits ; and if thefe 
 are all annihilated ; for they once had ex- 
 iftence ; what becomes of the do6lrine of a 
 future ftate ? If thofe human fpirits which 
 happened to be deified by the heathens, were 
 all reduced to nothing ; we cannot fay, that 
 any other human fouls, after they have 
 left the body, have any exiftence, more than 
 they ', but muft conclude, that they are all 
 vanilhed into air, and a final period is put to 
 their very Being. 
 
 The learned author of this argument, for 
 It is all his own, I perfuade myfelf, did not 
 mean to carry it fo far. Notwithftanding 
 that, I do not fee, how it can conclude lefs : 
 
 And 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Demoniach. 193 
 And as he muft grant, that it thus proves too 
 much ', we may fafely venture to aflert, that 
 it proves nothing at all. 
 
 Great ftrefs notwithftanding is laid upon 
 this interpretation of St. PauPs words. Let 
 us therefore draw a little nearer to them ; 
 and fee, what their real import is in them- 
 felves ; exclufively of any confequeiices, 
 which this fenfe that is put upon them, is 
 attended with. 
 
 At the very firft view, one would be apt 
 to think that the word idol fignifies the ma- 
 terial image. Our apoflle determines it to 
 this fenfe, when, in addrelling his Corinthian 
 converts, he tells them ; Te knoiv that ye 
 ivere Gentiles ^ carried away unto thefe dumb 
 idols, even asye were led*. They very well 
 knew, not only, that in their gentile ftate, 
 they were carried away unto thefe idols ; 
 but likewife, that thefe idols of wood and 
 Hone, before which they worlhiped, were 
 dumb ; and could not poffibly have the facul- 
 ty of fpeech. But they could not know, that 
 the gods themfelves, reprefented by them, 
 were dumb and fpeechlef? likewife. On the 
 contrary, they were often fuppofed to fpeak 
 and converfe with men. 
 
 Our apoftle himfelf furniflies us with an 
 jnftance of the fentiments which their wor- 
 
 * I Cor. xii. 2. Gr. Eih'Kx cKpwva, 
 
 O Ihipersf 
 
1 94 ^f^ Imp art ml 'Enquiry Into 
 fhipers had of them, in this refpe^:. T^he 
 gods ere come down to us, in the likenefs ofmen^ 
 laid the people oi hyfira. And they called, 
 Barnahasy Jupiter ; and Paul, Mercur'ms ; 
 becatife he was the chief fpeaker *, ^he idois' 
 of the heathen, fays the pfalnnifl , are fiver, 
 and gold, the work of mens hands. They 
 have mouths, hut they fpeak not : Eyes have 
 they, but they fee not. They have ears ; but they 
 hear not : Neither is there any breath in their 
 mouths \. This furely will be allowed to be 
 the defcription of material idols ; and not of 
 the deities reprefented by them. The pfal- 
 mifl: adds, They that make them are like unto 
 them : So is every one that trufeth in them. 
 Whence we are obliged to conclude, that if 
 the idols have no exiftence, neither have 
 their makers, nor thofe who confide iii 
 them. They are all non-entities alike. 
 
 What prof teth the graven image, faith the 
 prophet, that the maker thereof hath graven it t 
 The molten image, and a teacher of lyes ; that 
 the maker of his worktrttfteth therein, to make 
 dumb idols J. IVoe unto him ibat faith unto the 
 wood, awake ; to the dumb fone, arife, it: 
 
 * A61:s xiv. 12. 
 
 + Pf. cxxxv, 15. — cxv. 3.LXX. EiJct'Xa^ 
 % EiiojXx xw(poc, LXX. parallel to EjtJ'wAoj afa*«;^ of the 
 !^poftle. 
 
 7 fall 
 
the Cafe of the Gojpel Dcmoniacks. 195 
 
 JJjall teach. Behold, it is laid over with gold 
 andjiher ; and there is no breath at all in the 
 midjl of it*. All this mufl: furely be predi- 
 ci\ted of the graven and molten image. 
 
 The golden calf had facrihce oiTered to 
 him, as unto an idol-f*. Not unto the deity 
 which it reprefented : Whether that were 
 the Egyptian u^pis ; or the true god, as fome 
 think : Nor can it be pronounced of this 
 golden calf, that it was abfolutely nothing at 
 all: Even th.tn,\\\-\tnMofesburntit in thefire^ 
 and ground it to powder ; fraived it upon the 
 ivater^ and made the children of Ifrael drink J 
 {f it. As fruitlefs will all attempts be, to 
 make St. PauFs idol in the place before us 
 literally nothing. 
 
 St. Cyprian inveighs much againft idols, 
 in his treatife De idolorwn vanitate : But he 
 would have changed this title, and have 
 written, De idolorum tiuUitate-, had he been 
 aware of our author's interpretation. 
 
 St. Chryfofoni, on thefe words, we know 
 that an idol is nothing in the world, very per- 
 tinently alks the following quedions — Do 
 flot idols exijl ? Have graven images no cxifi^ 
 ence ? They do exifl indeed : but they have 
 no power. They are not gods, but flones 
 
 *Hab. ii. 18, 19. t Aclc vii. 41. + Exod.xxxii. 20. 
 O 2 and 
 
T96 An Imparlial Enquiry into 
 
 and demons *. Underftand thefe words, as 
 you pleafe ; either of the ftones, or the de- 
 mons : For you fee they take in both ; and 
 make your advantage of them. Both are 
 included in the following paffage of fcripture, 
 ney repented not of the ivorks of their hands^ 
 that they Jhould not worJJoip devils, and idols 
 of gold and fiver, andbrafs, and f one ^ and of 
 ijuood, which neither can fee, nor hear, nor 
 walk t- 
 
 The explanation which the commentators 
 give of this paffage is, — that with regard 
 to the matter of idols j it certainly is fome- 
 thing, being made of gold, or filver, wood, 
 or {tone ; But with regard to any virtue, or 
 efficacy, or value, that can be in them; 
 that they are things of nothing ; of no ufe, 
 or account ; being reprefentations of fidi- 
 tious deities, which in truth are no gods; 
 and equally impotent and infignificant, as 
 the idols or images themfelves J. But they 
 all unanlmoufly fuppofe, that by the idol 
 
 £V£; Tiva igr^MV' Ovoi Qeoi £i(Ti9, «XAa Xi6o/, >tat ^oiiy.ovi(* 
 Horn. XX. in Ccr. viii. 4. 
 
 t Rev. ix, 20. 
 
 + See Synopfis Ciit. in loc. 
 
 IS 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Demo?iiach, jgy 
 is meaned, the material vifible image, as the 
 word imports*. 
 
 Enough hath been faid, to expofe the pal- 
 pable abfurdity of inferring the total nullity 
 of idols from the text. This conceit cannot 
 be maintained, but upon the principles of a 
 late whimfical philofophy ; that the vifiblc 
 world is all ideal, and imaginary ; and that 
 there is nothing in rerum naiurdj that hath 
 any real exiftence. 
 
 This is the conclufion of the main argu- 
 ment, which is brought againil the reality 
 of demoniacal poffeflions ; and we fee how 
 inconclufive it is, and how infufficient to 
 fupport the inference that is drawn from it ; 
 <* that there never was, nor can be, a real 
 «* demoniac "f-.'* 
 
 Akin to this, is the pofition we elfewhere 
 meet with, in the following words, " We 
 «* have feen, that Chrift, and his Apoflles, 
 " never aflert thedodlrine ofpofl'effions; but 
 «« on the contrary, entirely fubvert it ; when 
 «* they are profelTedly ftating thofe dodrines, 
 
 * The word EtJwXov is derived by the Lexicographers, 
 from EjJ'w, video ; whence it properly fignifies a vifible 
 ima^e. And EjJwAejov, i Cor. viii. lo. was the idol 
 temple, wherein the idols, or images of the heathen 
 gods were placed. 
 
 I Efiay on Dcmoniacks, p. 240. 
 
 O 3 « which 
 
J 9 8. An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 *' which they were immediately commiffioii- 
 «* ed and inftrufted to teach the world *.'* 
 Good God ! Where is this to be {qqw ? One 
 might expert to have found chapter and verfe 
 quoted for lb extraordinary an afl'ertion. But 
 I can fee no fuch thing in the eflay ; nor can I 
 conceive, to what part of it the reference is 
 made, unlefs it be to that place, which we 
 have been now confidering ; but which will 
 bear no fuch burden. Sure I am, there is no 
 fuchdodtrine in fcripture ; it being fo contrary 
 to many parts, and to the whole tenour of it. 
 Pofleffions, I obferved, are not fo properly 
 matters of do6lrine, as matters of fad. The 
 fact, we have feen inftancesof in abundance: 
 And the doctrine arifing from them is fuffi- 
 ciently evident of courfej though it may 
 not be laid down in fuch a m.anner, and in 
 fuch places, as our author feems to di6late. 
 In (lead of inferring from hence, '* That 
 *' Chrift and his Apoftles contradid them- 
 <' felves, if by ufing the common language, 
 " withreipe6ltodemoniacks, they meaned to 
 *' countenance the opinion, on which it was 
 «' grounded t*." — The right inference would 
 have been, from their uhng this language; 
 to infer, that they did moif certainly mean 
 to countenance that opinion ; and to eftablifh 
 the truth of it. 
 * Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 314. f lb. 
 
 It 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel De?noniach. 199 
 It is not for nothing, that the change is 
 every now and then put upon us ; and that 
 poffefiion is reprefentcd as matter of do6lrine, 
 inftead of fad. Dodrines are often doubtful, 
 and liable to be controverted : But prove 
 any thing to be a facfl, and all doubt about 
 it prefently vanifhes ; nor is there any dif- 
 puting againfl: real fa(Sls. Hence I con- 
 ceived the likelieft method of deciding this 
 controverfy, was to reduce it to a quelHon 
 of fa(5ls ; and to produce inflances of it, as 
 the befl proofs of the reality of the pof- 
 feih. )ns, which were the fubjefl of it. The 
 author of the eflay agrees with me here con- 
 cerning the weight of fa6ls inflanced in ; 
 and reckons it as eafy to prove the reality of 
 poiTcirions in every inlfance, as in any one. 
 *« If, {;iys he, you can prove the reahty of 
 " pofleffion in 07ie inflance, from the lan- 
 *< guage of fcripture, you may prove it in 
 " all^y Many inftancesof poflieffions have 
 be n here produced ; and I flatter myfelf 
 the reality of them hath been proved from 
 both the fenfe and language of fcripture, in 
 all and every one. 
 
 Let us proceed now to examine the fenfe 
 of the primitive cliriftians in this rcfped. 
 * P.. 131. no e. 
 
 O 4 The 
 
20 o An Impartial inquiry into 
 
 ,The author of the eflay fays, " ft^at the 
 primitive ChriftiaDS underflood by demons^ 
 human fpirits ; and reprefents this, as the 
 general opinion of the world." But how 
 truly, will appear prefently. 
 
 He quotes but one paiTage In fupport of 
 it ; out of one writer, Jujlin M. who men- 
 tions it only, as the opinion of the hea- 
 thens 5 but not as his own ; which proves 
 to be very different from it -, as may be 
 colleded from feveral parts of his works *. 
 
 In this very apology, from which the 
 paifage is taken, and on which fo much 
 flrefs is laid are thefe words — " The prince 
 and ringleader of evil demons is called by 
 us, the ferpent, and fatan, and the devil,"— 
 a?, fays he, you may £nd in our books: 
 
 Thefe books are none other than the 
 books of holy Scripture, in whiph the de- 
 vil and his angels are thus defpribed. Are 
 thefe human fpirits?. 
 
 It is a well known opuiion of Jujiins^ 
 That demons were the offspring of angels, 
 
 * P. 4. This pafTage is as follows, 0» 4'"ya»? aTro" 
 
 a-cttI-j',, y-o'-i j-'^aJvofAJvaJ xaXacr* zxavTc^. Apol. i. p. 28. 
 ed. Thlrlby, fee Tiveih* aniwer to Sykes's enquiry, p. lO. 
 'Q apynyfV;-,? ' ruv ' hccv-Uv i'uiy.otiuy o^t$ xcuMiroi, xa» 
 c»rccyxii v-aci ' ^loc^oXoit «. t. A» ib. 46. 
 
 4 ' ^y. 
 
the Cafe of the Gof^el Demontach, 201 
 
 by women, with whom they fuppofed them 
 to cohabit *. And of the fame opinion, 
 however odd, were many of the Fathers : 
 j^thenagoras, Clemens Alex. TertuUian, LaStafi'm 
 tius ; and other primitive writers. 
 
 It is in allufion to this notion, I fuppofe, 
 that the learned writer owns Ju/lm feemed 
 to beheve in demons, of a different order 
 from thofe that were of the human fpecies ; 
 though he doth not choofe to fpeak out. 
 He owns farther. That Juflhi in his Cohortm 
 ad Gracos, calls the devil, a demons and 
 fpeaks of the devil's deceiving our firfl pa- 
 rents. All this fhews, That Juftin is but a 
 bad witnefs, that the primitive Chriftians 
 believed pofl'effing demons to have been hu- 
 man fpirits ; fince we fee he himfelf be- 
 lieved very differently of them, and their 
 origin : And as our author cites him for 
 calling the devil a demon 5 this is an au- 
 thority point blank againfl himfelf; in the 
 diftindion he would fain make between 
 demons and devils. 
 
 Jujlin likewife joins bad angels and 
 demons together, and gives both the flime 
 epithets, as being of the fame nature — men- 
 
 ji*i^j(T(v yjl^j^nirav, xa» xoiiS»i iTtYvoorxv, Apol. ii. 
 p. 46. 
 
 tjons 
 
202 jln Impartial inquiry into 
 
 tionsmany men being loi,i^ovo\yiiv\^c^ and ei-gp^ 
 yu(T^oLi vTTo Tcov (puvXoov ^oci^Qvuvy feized and 
 poflelTed by thefe foul demons ; whom the 
 heathen forcerers and magicians coula not 
 relieve them from ; but who were healed ; 
 and continued to be healed, by many Ghri- 
 ftians; who overcame and chafed away, 
 THj %aTix°'^'^^^ "^^^ cX'^Qpi^Trag ^ai^ovug^ the 
 demons which pofleffed them. He gives 
 a large account of the horrid aiid Ihame- 
 ful abufes, which poor mortals fufFered 
 from thefe infernal fpirits, both in his firfl 
 and fecond apology *, 
 
 T^ertuU'ian hath a whole chapter upon 
 demonsy their power and their operations. 
 *< Thofe malicious fpirits," he fays, ^' from 
 *' the beginning of man*s creation, were 
 '« fatally aufpicious in their firft attempt 
 *' upon his ruin.'* Were theie the deitied 
 fouls of men ? <' And they continue to 
 *' inflitt diftempers upon their bodies; and 
 " to throw them into fad dififters." And 
 he joins demons with evil angels ; which agi- 
 tate men with furies, and extravagai.t 
 uncleanneifes -j-. Clemens Alexandrintis calls 
 the devil, the prince of demons \. He is 
 
 * Apol. i. p. 10. Apol. ii. p. 112. 
 •J- Tert. Apolog. cap. xxii. % Clem. Strom, lib. v. 
 
 ilylcd 
 
ths Cafe of the Gofpel Demontach, 203 
 
 ftyled by Cyrll^ the demons who is the au- 
 thor of evil, and the father of fin * 1'he' 
 odoret calls him the man-flaying demon, and 
 the father of lyes t> and makes mention of 
 the devil, and of the demons that were 
 under him. St. Bajil fays of the devil, 
 that he was not created a devil ; but that, 
 having received the privileges of an angel, 
 his nature was changed into that of a demout 
 and that he became a wicked demon J, 
 Origen and his followers taught, that thofe 
 wicked demons would again recover their 
 prifline happy ftate in heaven ; agreeably 
 to his notions in other refpe£ls. And to 
 mention no more, Ignatius calls the devil 
 Aou^jLoviov a.(TooiJLa.TQVf an unbodied, or rather 
 bodilefs demon §. 
 
 The learned writer acknowledges, that 
 pofleffions were afcribed by many of the 
 fathers, I believe he might iliy all, after 
 the time of Jufiin M, to fallen angels ; when, 
 as he would have it, before his time, they 
 were afcribed to human fpirits. Though 
 he brings no proof of it, but Jujiin him- 
 felf, whom he prefles into the fervice con- 
 
 * Cyril. Horn. p. vi. f Theodoret. in Divin. decret* 
 cap. viii. % ^alil. Horn. xxi. 
 
 \ Ignat. epift. ad Smyrncnfcs. 
 
 trary 
 
204 An Impartial Enquiry Into 
 
 trary to his own perfuafion, as we have 
 feen. All the abovcmentioned fathers 
 were Jtiftins contemporaries, and flouriflied 
 in the fame age with him, or foon after. 
 And one of them hved before him. 
 
 To find out the truth, in any cafe, wc 
 {hould make ufe of all the helps that can 
 be had ; and to be fatisfied concerning the 
 notions of the primitive Chriftians in this 
 refped:, we ihould confult as many of the 
 primitive writers, as we can get any in- 
 formation from; and not pin ourfelves 
 down to any one of them ; were he ever 
 fo clear and confident, and were the proofs 
 produced from him ever fo unexception- 
 able. This would weigh but little againfl the 
 unanimous fuffrages of all the reft. 
 
 But what would be ftill more fatisfa6lory, 
 we (hould go to the fountain-head ; from 
 which the primitive Chriftians drew all 
 their notions. They were taught early, 
 that their moft deadly enemy was the 
 devil. And as fuch, they were required 
 expreffly to renounce him, and his an- 
 gels, at their very baptifm * : And as a ftill 
 more folemn abrenunciation of him ; the 
 exorciling of the devil was a moft antient 
 
 * Conftit. Apoft. lib, vii. cap. 41. , , 
 
 initiating 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demo fiiacks, 20^ 
 
 initiating rite, which was ufed, in conjunc- 
 tion with the prayers of the church, for the 
 deliverance of the Neophyte., or new chri- 
 flian, from the power of Satan *. And 
 that it was thought effedlual for this pur- 
 pofe, we have many teftimonies from an- 
 tient writers ; being ufed, not as an 'incan- 
 tation, or magical rite, as the heathen ex- 
 prcifms were -, but (imply by praying, and 
 invoking the name o^Jefus over thofe that 
 were poffefled. 
 
 But we find nothing of exorclling, or re- 
 nouncing departed human fouls, nor any 
 demons, who are fuppofed to have had no con- 
 ne£llon with the devil: And yet thefe were 
 enemies more dreadful than the devil him- 
 felf, if they were the authors of all the 
 plagues and torments of the poflbfled. 
 
 The practice of the church in this re- 
 fpeiSt furnifhes the beft proof of the fenti- 
 ments of the primitive Chriftians, concern- 
 ing the nature of thofe evil Beings, which 
 were fuppofed to poffefs the bodies of men 
 in thofe days ; and is equal to a cloud of 
 witnefles. 
 
 The fathers all agreed with the primi- 
 tive church, as we have k^n, in the per- 
 
 • Cave's Prim. Chrift. part i. cap. x. 
 
 fuafion, 
 
ao6 Ajt Impart ml "Enquiry into 
 
 fuafion, that poffe fling demons were Eone 
 other, than the devil and his angels : And 
 this was the opiifiion of Ghriftians in 
 general. 
 
 But as they were the vulgar among the 
 heathens, who believed them to be the 
 fouls of men : So they were only the fim- 
 pler fort of Chriftians who were led into 
 that opinion. It may indeed feem ftrange 
 to any thinking man, that any people, who 
 had the ufe of their reafon, fhould enter- 
 tain an opinion fo contrary to all the dic- 
 tates of it. We have feen the abfurdity of 
 it * : And it is matter of fome wonder 
 whence it fhould arife. It may not there- 
 fore be amifs to attempt the accounting for 
 it. 
 
 This is not a queflion of mere curiofity. 
 The refolving of it will be of ufe in a 
 religious view ; and the cafe will appear to 
 have been none other than this. 
 
 An opinion fo monftrous could proceed 
 only from the father of lies ; and it may 
 be fairly traced up to him. The wifer 
 heathens were aware of his impofitions 
 in other ref pedis : And the primitive fa- 
 thers dete<Sl:ed him in this particular. For- 
 fhyry owned, the devils deceived, not only 
 
 * P. 171. 
 
 the 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 26 J7 
 
 the vulgar ; but even the wifefl of the 
 Greek philofophers, and poets *. And he 
 fays, ** There was a deceitful kind of them, 
 " who turned themfelves into all fnapes ; 
 *' and perfonated the gods, demons^ and the 
 " fouls of the deceafed -f-." The demons 
 which they counterfeited muft have been 
 good demons ; and they perfonated the fouls 
 of the dead in the bodies of the living. 
 
 The writer of the eflay acknowledges, 
 «' That feveral philofophers taught, that the 
 «' heathen demons, as he calls them, were 
 «« evil fpirits of a rank fuperior to mankind, 
 " and that thefe demons perfonated the fouls 
 " of the dead, gods, and genii \ and procured 
 <« themfelves to be worfliiped, under their 
 '* names ;|;." And he quotes many heathen 
 writers in fupport of that opinion. 
 
 As thefe demons perfonated the fouls of 
 men, in other refpeds : fo did they par- 
 ticularly in their entrance of men's bodies 
 under tiiefemblance of departed human fouls. 
 We are obliged to the learned writer for 
 
 * Porphyry apud Eufeb. puiep. Evang. lib. iv. cap. 2i, 
 22. 
 
 De abfliruntia, lib. ii. 
 X E%, p. 49. 
 
 fome 
 
200 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 fome proofs of this kind ; though he makes 
 a quite different ufe of them. 
 
 St, Chryfojlom informs us, that the pof- 
 feffing demons pretended they were the fouls 
 of certain deceafed perfons. " The demo- 
 *« niacks cry out, fays he, I am the foul of 
 «« fuch a one* But this is no more than a 
 ** falfe pretence, and a diabolical deception. 
 *< For it is not the foul of the deceafed, that 
 ** fb cries out ; but the demon that feigns 
 «« thefe things to deceive the hearers *.'* 
 And he elfewhere mentions it, as the parti- 
 cular pradice of thefe demons ^ to fay, " I 
 •* am the foul of fuch a monk, in order that 
 *« they might deceive the hearers +." 
 
 The learned writer farther acquaints us, 
 with the teftimony of a perfon ; fo late, as 
 in the year 1564; who declared, "That 
 ** he himfelf alfo" (as well, it feemsj as 
 fome others) *' had feen not a few demo- 
 *• niacks, in whom the unclean fpirits, when 
 
 xai T«To cufivnTK;, y.M ocKocm JtaSc?^jK^. Ou yap n 4'^X*' ''* 
 T£T£X£UT£xoT05 t^iv >] |3oco(ra* hKkOi iociy.biVj VTrOXpiVOfAl" 
 vos rocvtXf caj-s airocTmon ra? axgcvTfj. 
 
 S. Chryfoft. torn. ii. Cone. 28. in Matt. p. 196. 
 
 <pno'i — oi7r(X,TU<Ti yoip ts; axaovref. 
 
 lb. Tom. V. Cone. 36. in Lazarum, p. 235, 
 
 ** they 
 
the Cafe of the G of pel Demofiiach. 209 
 
 « they were adjured by a prieft, falfely fald, 
 « they were the fouls of certain perfons, 
 '* who had been (lain *." 
 
 This is turned into ridicule. The fa£l 
 however is not contefted ; and it is confo- 
 iiant with the above proofs from St, C/jry- 
 fo/iom, and what we elfewhere learn from 
 him — That thefe wicked demons^ when they 
 gat pofleflion of men's bodies, perfonated 
 the fouls of fome that were deceafed in 
 them. — And the better to carry on the im- 
 pofture, they inftilled into the minds of the 
 fimple vulgar a no lefs pernicious opinion, 
 that the fouls of the deceafed became demons ; 
 to infinuate the belief of their being nearly 
 akin to each other ; and to render their in- 
 tercourfe the more familiar to men's minds, 
 under whatever denomination. 
 
 They particularly infufed a belief into 
 weak people, That the fouls of thofe that 
 fuffered violent deaths, efpecially, were turn- 
 ed into demons. In this Satan had a double 
 view : On the one hand, to difparage the 
 
 * Hieronymus magius, inqnit, ego quoque daemonia* 
 cos non paucos vidi ; in quibus immundi fpiritus, duma 
 l^icerdote adjurentur, le interfec^orum quorundam animas 
 effe mcntirentur. Var. \cdi, lib. iv. cap. 12. £fl"ay on 
 Dcmoniacks, p. 51 — 53, 
 
 P memory 
 
2 1 o An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 memory of the chriftian martyrs : And on 
 the other, as he was a murderer from the 
 begimilng, to put it Into the hearts of for- 
 cerers and necromancers, to deftroy the lives 
 of many innocent children ; upon a pre- 
 fumption, that their fouls would become 
 ' demons ; and that then they would be fub- 
 fervient to them in their magical enchant- 
 ments. Thus Simon Magus pretended to 
 fetch up the fouls of the prophets from the 
 lower regions ; and of children who had 
 been flain, to affift him in magical arts *. 
 
 We are obliged to the fame St. Chryfo/iom 
 chiefly for thefe feveral informations, con- 
 cerning the many peftilent opinions, which 
 the grand adverfary, and deceiver of man- 
 kind fowed among them, to enfnare their 
 fouls : Which the good father doth not fail 
 to remonftrate againft, in more places than 
 one, of his works t. 
 
 I fhould 
 
 * Teit. de aaima, cap. Jviii. Clem, recog. lib, ii. 
 P- 5^3- 
 
 - In Oil 4''Jp(^ai Tuu airiX^ovT'xv ^cciy^oveg yivovrai' o unantors 
 ryi\/oiTOt [A»j(j£ ij.i'^pi; swoiai XaSfiv. S. Chryfoft. Tom. 
 ii. Cone. 28. in Matt. p. 196. 
 
 EvT«u0a uovnpov vo(Tri^oi T>if up,«T£p3tff i^sXetv pgXofAat 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks, 2 1 r 
 
 I fhould now have taken my leave of this 
 father; but that I find it neceflary to vindicate 
 him from a milreprefentation of his own 
 opinion. He is charged, »' That at the very 
 " time, that he is oppofing the notion of the 
 " fouls of thofe who fufFcr a violent death, 
 *' becoming demons ^ he afl'erts, that the fouls 
 *' of wicked men become fuch*.'* 
 
 His words, as faithfully as I can tranflate 
 them, are, " Many of the fimpler fort 
 *' think, that the fouls of thofe who fuffer 
 *« violent deaths become demons. But it is 
 *' not fo. It is not. For they are not the 
 " fouls of thofe that die by violence, who 
 ** become demons ; but the fouls of thofe that 
 " live in their fins : Their nature," as he 
 immediately adds, *' not being changed ; 
 *' but their choice being to imitate the wick- 
 <« ednefs of thofe evil fpirits t-" And to 
 this he fubjoins feveral very pertinent paffa- 
 
 Oyx igt Si T2T0* cvx crtv. lb. tom. v. com. ^6. in 
 l/azarum, p. 235. 
 
 * Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 52, note. 
 
 ■[ Ou yap scl vj/u;^a< toui' jSiaOavarai/TWv Jdtijxovf? yivovxaji. 
 
 tXri-^uv [A.iy.i:y.ivfii y.ocxiOiv. Chryfoft, 16, 
 
 P 2 ges 
 
2 1 2 ^n Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 ges of fcripture, with very proper diftlnc- 
 tions and remarks ; to juftify the accounting 
 of thofe, who live in their fins, to refemble 
 demons too much in their devihfti tempers 
 and Uves, though there be no change in 
 their natures. To i?.y that the fouls of thofe 
 who hve in lin, become devils, might be 
 iinderflood as an eafy figure of fpeech, with- 
 out thefe explanations. 
 
 It was not poflible for any writer to ex- 
 plain, and guard his meaning better. But 
 there is no guarding againll: the mutilating 
 of an author's expreffions : Whereby he 
 may be made to fay any thing ; be it ever 
 fo different from the real meaning. 
 
 I have dwelt longer upon this fubjedl, 
 than I intended. But it may not be without 
 its ufe ; by fuch in (lances to awake fupine 
 mortals ; and excite their vigilance againft 
 that fuhtil enemy of their falvation, who is 
 ever watchful of his prey, and daily lying 
 in wait to deceive. He hath various arts 
 and Itratagems to circumvent unwary fouls; 
 and hrs relources are never exhaufted. 
 
 Being, by the Hght of the gofpel, dete(5t- 
 ed ; and retrained from his more open, and 
 grofler attempts; and from any known, and 
 palpable polMions of men's bodies ; he goes 
 
 now 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniacks. 2 1 3 
 
 now a more fecret and covert way to work : 
 For he ftill icorhtb, though invifibly, in 
 the children of df obedience. 
 
 As we fee no nifhmces of poffeflions, God 
 be praifed, in thefe times, which we can 
 with certainty pronounce to be fuch : And 
 as there have been many impoftures of this 
 kind ; the deceitful adverfary would fain 
 perfuade us, there are not, nor ever were, 
 any real pofTeffions at all ; and employs his 
 emiflhries to argue, and banter us out of the 
 belief of them ; than which nothing can give 
 him greater advantage againfi: us ; as there- 
 by he may com.e upon us by furprize, and 
 lead us captive at his will. Many, I doubt 
 not, there are, who entertain this opinion, 
 and defend it, from an honeft, and good 
 heart. I would neverthelefs earneftly iiitreat 
 all fuch to confider, whether they may not 
 undefignedly be doing his work; and, while 
 they think they are rendering God fervice, 
 whether they may not be co-operating with 
 the common enemy, to their own, and their 
 fellow-creatures defhucfion. — Whether he 
 may not be at their elbow ; aiid they haply 
 be found to fight againfi God ? 
 
 How^ever the antients differed about the 
 
 nature o^dcmons ; there was no difference be- 
 
 P 3 tween 
 
214- An Impartial Knquiry into 
 
 tween them about their exigence. The 
 heathens in general ; their philofophers, as 
 well as the vulgar ; the antient Jews, and 
 the primitive Chrifllans, agreed in the reality 
 of their Being ; and of their poiTefrions. 
 Nor was there any doubt among them in 
 this refpe^l ; unlefs it was among fuch as 
 were of atheiftical or libertine principles, 
 who denied the immortality of the foul. 
 Of this fort were the Epicureans among the 
 heathens, and tlie Sadducees among the 
 Jews: Who are brought to patronize the 
 opinion of their non-exiftence, Lucian *, 
 and Celfiis, are among the worthies that fup- 
 port it ; and Roujjeau is placed at the head of 
 them. 
 
 To thefe might have been added, Pompo- 
 natius^ Vafiintis^ Hobbes^ Spinoja, and Bekker ; 
 who, it hath been obferved, have patronized 
 the opinion, that poffeliions were nothing 
 more than natural difeafes t : And who are 
 
 * Lucian wrote his Pbilo-ppuchs againft the exiftence 
 of feparate fpirits. He fays of Detnocritus of Abdera — 
 
 f See the ufual interpretation of Ariifj!.oi'Sf and Aotiy-o- 
 viccf in N. T, aflerted ins rermon, by Dr. Hutchinfon. 
 p. 3c. 
 
 all 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach, 2 1 5 
 
 all well known to have been profane and 
 athelftical writers. 
 
 Mr. Mede is placed at the head of thofe 
 that are of this opinion among our modern 
 divines, and his authority is truly reipe^la- 
 ble. But thofe that prefs it into the fervice 
 of their caufe, would not have fo much 
 reafon for triumphing in it, if his fenfe were 
 taken altogether. It may be feen in one 
 view ; and is well vindicated in a late learn- 
 ed diflcrtation on demoniacks*. 
 
 As for the opinions of phyficians, antietit 
 or modern, I think they do not carry much 
 weight ; as it is well known, they are too 
 apt to refolve every kind of phce?jomena into 
 natural caufes. 
 
 St.Luke's authority is fufficient to over-rule 
 them all : And they would all have fubmitted 
 to it, if they had paid him but his due re- 
 gard, and that which they fail not to fhew 
 to other antients, who have gone before 
 them in the profefilon. 
 
 Had Y^r.Mead, particularly, weighed with 
 impartiality, the force and meaning of the 
 evangelift's words ; which he acknowledges, 
 that, as a phyfician, the divine writer well 
 
 *' Diflert. on Dcmoniack?; p. 32. 
 
 P 4. underflood 
 
2 1 6 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 vihderftootl j he would not have deviated 
 from the fenle of them, (o much as he did ; 
 nor be biaffed by any ties of kindred into the 
 contrary opinion. 
 
 The quahfications of the beloved phyjiclan 
 as a witnefs, have ah^eady been taken notice 
 of*. That his evidence, and that of the 
 other evangeUds, which hath flood unim- 
 peached above feventeen centul-ies, fhould 
 now be thus difputed, and perverted from 
 its natural meaning, is contrary to all the 
 laws of evidence ; hath a tendency to de- 
 flroy the faith of all hiftory, and to intro- 
 duce an univerfal fcepticifm. 
 
 The credit of the holy evangelifts is to be 
 held facred and inviolable, for the fake of 
 the great truth? which they deUver ; and 
 which, if impaired in fome refpe6ls, will 
 be expofed to the like treatment in others. 
 None of thefe truths are of greater impor- 
 tance, than thofe, on which the whole de- 
 pends; the miracles which were wrought, 
 in atteflation of it. To weaken the force of 
 any of thefe miracles ; and interpret them 
 away, is fhaking the foundation of our holy 
 religion. The miracles of healing the lick, 
 
 * P. no. 
 
 aud 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniach, 2 r ^ 
 and cafting out devils, are in their nature 
 diftind ; and that diftin^lion is always pre- 
 ferved in the narration. The cafting out of 
 devils was a more fignal kind of miracles, 
 and thefe were greater miracles likewife, 
 than the healing of any difeafes ; as bodily 
 difeafes in general cannot be luppofed fo dif- 
 ficult of cure ; as to overcome, and diflodge 
 thefe perfonal and moft inveterate enemies 
 of mankind ; and to cure thofe diftempers 
 too, which were inflifled by them. For as 
 mere natural difeafes proceed from natural 
 caufes ; thefe caufes are often removed, and 
 the difeafes remedied, by Ikilful phyficians, 
 in a natural way, by the ufe of proper 
 means. The difference in the cure of fuch 
 difeafes, by the divine phyfician, lay in his 
 healing them, without the ufe of means, in- 
 ftantaneoufly, by a woid's fpeaking. And 
 this was truly miraculous. But if compa- 
 rifon may be made, of one miracle to an- 
 other : And, I think, fuch comparifon is 
 in' this cafe juftifiable; nay neceflary, when 
 thefe miracles are fo much difparaged. — 
 This being the cafe, it furely muft be allow- 
 ed to have been a greater miracle to heal the 
 difeafe; and to dilarm, and bind the flrong 
 vian likewife that caufed it ; and to turn 
 
 him 
 
2 1 S An Impartial 'Enquiry into 
 
 him out of his unlawful poffeffion. Here 
 therefore was a double miracle. The feven- 
 ty difciples fingled out thefe miracles ; as 
 the greateft they had ever been impowered 
 to perform. luord^ even the devils arejuhjeui 
 to us^ through thy name: Thus triumphing, 
 as it were, over all the power of the enemy. 
 The author of theeflay on demoniacks can- 
 not help acknowledging the high rank and 
 weight, which thefe miracles bear in the 
 fcale and eftimation of miracles. " Thefe 
 *' miracles," fays he, ** of thofe performed 
 " upon the gofpel demoniacks, are always 
 *' fpoken of in the New Tejl amenta with 
 '* lingular emphafis and diftin6lion. Scarce 
 *' are any other miracles more frequently 
 '« and circumftantially defcribed." He 
 might have faid, that fcarce any are^o fre- 
 quently, and circumftantially defcribed. 
 '* It required an extraordinary degree of 
 <* faith to undertake them ;" as for inftance 
 in the cafe of the lunatick, mentioned, Matt, 
 xvii. 20. Mark ix. 29. Thefe he accounts 
 <« difficult miracles." *' The feventy, he 
 *' fays, as jull; now obferved, were ill led 
 *' with exultation and triumph, when they 
 *' found themfelves enabled to cure demoni- 
 '♦ acks.'* The fpedators were filled with 
 
 religious 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demoniac ks. 219 
 Tellgious aftonifliment, and awe at thefe won- 
 derful miracles *. 
 
 Very haiidfomely faid indeed ! One would 
 think no lefs, than that he was, in good 
 earned, difplaying the fuperior excellency of 
 thefc; miracles. Who would ever imagine, 
 that all this was no more than a prelude to 
 his finking them to the level of fuch mi- 
 racles, as were performed for the healing of 
 the fick only ? 
 
 But what is yet much more reprehenfible, 
 is, that fuch a collecSlion of the low, inde- 
 cent, juggling tricks of profane exorcifts and 
 magicians, fliould be tacked to the above 
 fair defcription of our Saviour's miracles on 
 the demoniacks ; without any y^Z-ut? to pre- 
 vent their being paralleled with each other ; 
 and that the idea of thefe filly and ridiculous 
 charms fhould be left, in a manner, laft upon 
 the minds of the readers, at the conclufion 
 of this performance. This is fuch manage- 
 ment, as muft raife the Indignation of every 
 ferious chriftian; as well as his zeal to 
 refcue them from fuch unworthy treatment. 
 To this purpofe, it fliould be obferved, 
 that the merit of thefe miracles hath not yet 
 been done juftice to ; and that they have ftill 
 
 * See Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 408. 
 
 farther 
 
220 An Impartial Knqu'iry into 
 
 farther excellences. For thefe were mira- 
 cles performed upon the fouls, as well as 
 bodies of men ; and as the foul is much 
 more precious, and of greater concern, than 
 the body ; fo thefe miracles were more mer- 
 ciful, and beneficial, in proportion. 
 
 The healing of bodily difeafes was ■un- 
 doubtedly a very great benefit to. mankind : 
 But the healing of the diftempers of their 
 fouls was furely a greater benefit ftill ; and 
 the greatefi mercy that could be vouchfafed 
 to poor mortals, who grievoufly laboured 
 under them. 
 
 Our Saviour, when he cured the Demo- 
 niack, not only ejected the evil fpirit ; but at 
 the fame time, no \&{i wonderfully f.jbdued 
 the diabolical temper, which inlligated the 
 wretched fufferer to fuch ads of rage and 
 cruelty, againft himfelf, and all about him: — 
 aflaulting and wounding all who came near 
 him — fpreading terror all around him — tear- 
 ing his own ilefh — cutting himfelf with 
 ilones — and attempting to deflroy hmifelf. — * 
 For fuch a one to be made calm and compofed 
 in an inftant; and to be reflored to his right 
 mindi was fuch a miracle of mercy, as would 
 leave the moll lading imprefiions. 
 
 Ac- 
 
the Cafe of the Go/pel Demoniacks. 221 
 Accordingly, it may reafonably be pre- 
 llimec], that mod, if not all the demoniacks, 
 who had been cured by our Lord, and his 
 difciples, were fo deeply affecled by, and 
 fo thoroughly convinced of, the divine 
 power that difplayed itfelf, in their delive- 
 rance ; as to become fincere converts, and 
 true difciples to our Saviour. 
 
 Of this we have one remarkable inflance 
 in facl, of the man, wlio had the legion of 
 devils cafl out of him, being found luting 
 at the feet o^ J ejus, lirtning to his doctrine, 
 and as may well be luppoled, being in his 
 right mind ; and befeeching him, that he 
 might be with him j and admitted as one of 
 his difciples. And though Jefiis judged he 
 would be of more fervice to the caufe of his 
 religion, by continuing in his own country ; 
 to convince an unbelieving people, of 
 the greatnefs of God's mercy towards him; 
 the readinefs of his obedience, as well as the 
 fuicerity of his converfion, appears, from b.is 
 going immediately, and publifhingv through- 
 out the whole city, and all the region of 
 Decapolis, how great things Jefiis had done 
 unto him. And as this was the cafe in one 
 inflance, it may be prefumcd, it was the 
 fame in many others. 
 
 Now, 
 
222 An Impartial Enquiry into 
 
 Now the reprefenting of this whole fet 
 of great, af^onilhing, and mod: beneficial 
 miracles, as being no more than curing 
 bodily difeafes ; the putting of both theie 
 kinds of miracles on the fame footing; 
 the refolving of the one, into the other ; 
 and confounding both together ; is furely 
 very injurious to the former; is finking 
 their value, and depreciating of them to 
 a great degree ; and cauling them to be, 
 in a manner, loft, among thefe latter ; 
 and, I may venture to fay, lefTer miracles. 
 It is weakening the evidence of chriftianity 
 in general ; and depriving it of a coniider- 
 able number of the great miracles, on 
 which it is built. 
 
 An argument fufficient for this purpofe 
 ought to amount to nothing lefs than de- 
 monflration. A queftion of fuch impor- 
 tance, that affeiSts chriftianity in fo eflential a 
 part, ought to be debated with great caution 
 and candour ; and requires the foundeft, and 
 moft uncontrovertible principles to be de- 
 cided upon. But an hypothefis, that is 
 built upon no good principle at all, nor any 
 folid foundation whatfoever — that refts 
 upon the fanciful, the vain, and the un- 
 certain opinions of men — that militates 
 
 againft 
 
the Cafe of the Gofpel Demontach. 223 
 
 agaliifl the tenour, as well as letter of 
 Icripture ; and agalnfl: the whole analogy 
 of faith — that oppoies the fentiments of 
 the mod refpe(5table of the antients of all 
 denominations; both after chriftianity, and 
 fince ; till within thefe latter tiniies — that 
 is countenanced by very {qw modern di- 
 vines of cliarader, or foundnefs of faith — 
 And is patronized chiefly by fuch, among 
 antients and moderns, as are a difgrace to 
 any caufe — Such an hypotheiis, 1 truft, 
 will not be capable of convincing any ferious 
 enquirer; who was not, beforehand, under 
 fome prejudices in its favour ; though it 
 may be likely enough to meet with re- 
 ception, and countenance, among luke- 
 warm, and half chriftians ; and fuch as 
 are difpofed to fink chriftianity to an ebb, 
 which is but a few degrees above deifm ; 
 the manifell defign of thefe, and luch like 
 produdions being, to bring down chrifli- 
 anity to the level of natural religion ; which 
 every one will have the modeling* of, by 
 the fquare of his own reafon ; whereby 
 he will frame it to his liking; and make 
 as pliable, and good-natured a religion of 
 it, as he pleafes. And by that means, at 
 length, men will come to be without any 
 3 thing, 
 
224 An Impartial Enquiry, <^c. 
 
 thing, that can deferve the name of reH- 
 gion ; and will live fo, as without God 
 in the world. 
 
 Let us hold fail: the profeffion of our 
 faith, without wavering, and earneftly con- 
 tend for it, as it was once delivered to the 
 faints ; that we may ftand perfeft, and 
 complete, in all the will of God. 
 
 A N 
 
["5] 
 
 AN 
 
 APPENDIX; 
 
 CONSISTING OP 
 
 An ESSAY 
 
 O N 
 
 SCRIP TUR E DEMONOLOGY. 
 
 TQ complete this enquiry — To have 
 a fuller, and more comprehenfive 
 view of the fiibjedl of it — to have jufter and 
 more adequate notions of thofe invifible 
 Beings, about which it is converfant — And 
 to form the better judgment of this contro- 
 verfy ; fo as that everyone may determine 
 concerning it for himfelf, with the greater 
 precilion, and accuracy; it will be necefiary 
 to have recourfe to the word of God j in 
 which alone we can hope to have fiich cer- 
 tain information, as can fully be contided in ; 
 Q or 
 
226 APPENDIX, 
 
 or any well-grounded fatisf^idion in this 
 refpe£l:. 
 
 To this end, it will be requifite to bring 
 together into one view, though not all, yet 
 the chief and principal accounts, hints, and 
 allufions, which lie difperfed in the fcrip- 
 tures, that can contribute to call: light on a 
 lubjed, which hath not been profeffedly 
 treated on before, by any one within my 
 knowledge, or recollection * ; in order to at- 
 tempt fomething of a fyllem of Scripture- 
 demonology ; the imperfection of which it 
 is hoped will be excufed, as it is but a kind 
 of firfl ellay. 
 
 For it is not to be expeded, that any di- 
 re£l records or formal proofs, fhould be pro- 
 duced, efpecially out of the Old Teftament, 
 of every thing relating to this fubjeCl. It 
 will, I hope, be thought fufficient, if the 
 main doctrine be clearly eftablifhed -, while 
 concomitant circumftances, and incidental 
 matters, relating to it, are made out to a 
 tolerable degree of probability, at leaft ; by 
 fair inference, and analogy to the whole. 
 
 How much fomething of this kind is 
 wanted appears too plainly, from the treatife 
 
 ^ K. James I. wrote a treatife on demonology at 
 large, which doth not anfwer the intent of this under- 
 taking, 
 
 taken 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 227 
 
 taken notice of in the foregoing enquiry, as 
 well as from fevcral other writings of the 
 fame tendency; whence the Sadducean creed; 
 that there h neither angcI, norfpirity feems to 
 be reviving, and getting ground apace 
 among us. 
 
 God, in his holy word, hath been pleafed 
 to warn us of the exigence of a certain 
 wicked fpirit, branded by the denomination 
 of the Devil \ who is therein fet forth to be 
 a mofl inveterate enemy to him, and all 
 mankind. 
 
 This Being, we learn, in his firft eftate, 
 when he came out of tiie hands of his Creator, 
 was an angel of light, holy in his nature, 
 like the other holy angels of God. This 
 may be inferred from his name Lucifer-, 
 which in itfelf is a title of honour ; and al- 
 ludes to his having been an angel of Hght, 
 in his original ftate. For it fignifies, The 
 Harbinger of lights as its correfpondent He- 
 brew name, bVn, imports; that is, The 
 refplmdent. Accordingly, he is in the con- 
 text called. Son of the morniiig^. 
 
 This once glorious Being proved rebellious 
 ac^ainft his Sovereia;n Lord and Maker, and 
 revolted from his government : Whereupon 
 * Ifa. xiv. 12. 
 
 Q % he 
 
228 APPENDIX, 
 
 he was degraded from the high rank, in 
 which he had been (lationed in the angelick 
 choir ; and was call: down out of heaven. 
 The Son of God was witnefs to his down- 
 fall. Ill allufion to which he faith, I faw 
 Saiafi, as lightnings fall from heaven *. A 
 noble comparifbn, which conveys a very 
 firiking idea of that glorious nature, and 
 that exalted ftate, from which he had been 
 precipitated. 
 
 The prophet likewlfe, though his thoughts 
 were occupied about other matters, alludes 
 to this cataftrophe. How art thou fallen from 
 heaven, O Lucfer^ Son of the morning? 
 Thou haf faid hi thine heart, I will afcend into 
 heaven : I will exalt my throne above the (lars 
 of God — / zvill afcend above the heights of 
 the clouds : I will be like the inojl High \, 
 Whence tlie motives of his apoftacy feem to 
 have been pride and ambition. Accordingly 
 he is every where in Icripture defcribed, as 
 the arcli-rebel againft his creator; and the 
 great oppofer of his will in the government 
 of the world. 
 
 Being fallen from heaven, he was cafl 
 down to the earth ; where he gave early 
 
 * Luke X. 18. t Ifa. xiv. 12, 13, 14- 
 
 proofs 
 
on Scripture Dcmonology. 229 
 
 proofs of his malignancy. For finding him- 
 felf unable to contend with his Maker di- 
 leflly ; he betook himfelf to 023pore him in- 
 diredly in his imai!,e man. 
 
 For no fooner had God made man, and 
 placed him, with his confort, in a ftate of 
 happinefs ; than the devil projected to dil- 
 turb his moral government of the world ; 
 and as far as lay in his power, to ruin and 
 deiliroy this innocent pair. With this view, 
 he entered the body of a ferpent; which 
 was the fitteft indiiiment for his purpofe ; 
 and by his fubliliy, beguiled Evs^, 
 
 That the devil a^Lually did take poileffion 
 of the body of a ierpent, and fpake out of 
 it, when he tempted the woman, is a truth 
 founded on fcripture, and appears from 
 many paflages of it. l^ence, particularly 
 he is called by the name of the great Dra- 
 gon, and the old ferpent ; alluding to this 
 primitive one. This poffefiion is analogous 
 to other fubfequent poiicffions of his ; and 
 more efpecially to that of fwine ; which 
 ierve to illuftrate and confirm each other. 
 And as an afs hath been made to fpeak ar- 
 ticulately, v>'hy might not the ferpent's 
 organs be fitted for the purpofe, as well ? 
 If indeed it was through his mouth that the 
 
 • 2 Cor. xi. 3. 
 
 g 3 devil 
 
230 APPENDIX, 
 
 devil fpake ; and not out of his belly ; as 
 
 ventriloquifts are faid to have done. 
 
 This likewife is agreeable to the notions 
 of the heathens concerning evil fpirits ; U'ho 
 reckoned them to have fo much verfatility 
 in their impofitions upon mankind, that 
 they could turn themfelves into all fhapes ; 
 and afi'ume the bodies of all forts of animals, 
 which they found fitteil for carrying on their 
 deceitful defirns *. 
 
 The literal fenfe of this account of Eve s 
 temptation having been queftioned, and 
 controverted, not many years ago ; and 
 an attempt having been made to interpret 
 it alltgorically j this intent hath been fully 
 fruibated ; and the hiftorical and literal 
 meaning clearly vindicated, and efta- 
 bliflied t. 
 
 The direful confequences of the fall of 
 man, brought about by the pra6lices of 
 the Tempter, the reality of which is too 
 well afcertained by the efFe£ls ; and our 
 
 Pcrph. lib. ii. de abftinentia. 
 
 Tlocoi Pwok; oo<,o»a{Jt'£voj TrpotrioKri m; *v9/)607r2f. Forph, 
 apud H-uU-h, oTOcep. evang. hb, iv. cap. 23. 
 
 f See p:rucularly the hiibricdl fenfe of the Mofaick 
 RCCQunC of the Fall proved and vindicated. 
 
 dehverance 
 
on Scripture Dcmonology, 2^1 
 
 deliverance from it, by the mercies of our 
 Redeemer, would carry us into too wide 
 a field to expatiate upon ; and too diftant 
 from this defign. 
 
 The devil inceffantly purfued his ma- 
 licious intentions ngainft the human race ; 
 when, there being no more than two 
 fons born to Adam, he inftigated one of them 
 to murder the other. For this, we find in 
 fcripture, is to be imputed to him ; which 
 informs us, That Caiti was of thai wicked 
 one, andjlew his brother * — That the devil -was 
 a murderer from the beginning ; and abode 
 not in the truth ; becaufc there is no truth in 
 him. When he fpeaketh a lye, that he fpeak- 
 eih of his own ; for he is a lyar, and the father 
 ofit\. He is like wife called, Tl he wicked 
 one ; The enemy ; The advcrfary of men ; 
 'The tempter ; all by way of eminence ; which 
 denotes him to be fuperlacively fuch ; and 
 to have all thofe malignant qualities in the 
 highefl degree. 
 
 Befides thefe appellations, he is called Sa- 
 iaUi Beelzebub ; Be Hal, Abaddon, Apolluon, 
 that is. The dejlr oyer ; The prince of the power 
 of the air. The prince, and god of this zvorld, 
 
 * Jo. iii. 12. t Jo- viii. 44. 
 
 Q 4 With 
 
233 APPENDIX, 
 
 With regard to his office and employment, 
 his power, andfway in the world ; he is faid 
 to deceive the whole world — To be the accufer 
 of his brethren, and to accufe them before 
 Gj:)d night and day *. He is fa Id to be 
 going to and fro in the earth -^ ; and to 
 be walking up and down in it, as a roar- 
 ing lion, fe eking whom he may devour J, 
 He is faid to have the power of death ; and 
 is called, 'Thefpirit that flow worketh in the 
 children cf difobedience — working, with all 
 power, and fgns, and lying wonders', and 
 with all deceive ablenefs of iinrighteoiifnefs, in 
 them that perip. He is faid to bufy himfelf 
 in fowing tares among the wheat — to blind 
 the minds of them thai believe not ; left the light 
 (f the glorious gofpel of Chrifl fhould fldlne unto 
 them. 
 
 We are farther told, That when fome 
 hear the word, Satan cometh immediately, 
 fnd takeih away the word out of their hearts i 
 lejl they fhoidd believe, and be faved — That 
 this Sataii is fometimes transformed into an 
 angel of light ; fuch as he once was before — 
 
 * Rev. xii. 9, 10, t Job i. 7. 
 
 + 1 Pet. V. 8. Heb. ii. 14. Eph. ii. 2. 2 Thef, 
 ii. 9, 10. 2 Cor. iv. 4. Mark iv. 15. Luke viii. 
 J?. 2 Cor. xi, 14. Luke j^vii, 31. 
 
 That 
 
on Scripture Demonology, i ^ ^ 
 
 That he hath a defire to have us, 'that he 
 may lift us, as wheat — That he is ever 
 watching to get advantage of us ; and to 
 kinder us in ruraimg the race that is fet before 
 us^' — And that nriany fall into his Inares ; 
 from which, if they do not recover thsm- 
 felves, they are taken captives hy him at 
 his will. Laftly, our adverfary, the Devil, 
 is faid, upon occafion, to come down unto 
 us, having great wrath : And that he had 
 the hardinels to difpute with Michael the 
 Arch-angel, about the body of Mofes ; and 
 to wage war in heaven. 
 
 From this view, it appears, that this 
 Being is malignant in an extraordinary de- 
 gree — That, as God is the author of all 
 good ; fo the Devil is the author of all 
 evil — That he is the evil principle ; as evil 
 is inherent in him, and originates from 
 him — That he introduced it into the world ; 
 and (till continues to infligate, and excite 
 mankind to it — Tliat he commits evil, witli- 
 out ceafing; and pradifcs all forts, and de- 
 grees of it — That he not only was the firlt 
 fniner ; but that he flill hnneth ; and hath 
 continued to fin from the beginning : And 
 
 * I Thef. ii. 1 8. 2 Tim. ii. 26, Revel, xii. 7, 12. 
 
 that 
 
234 APPENDIX, 
 
 that he who committeth fin is of the Devil; 
 who is the father of all fuch — That he is at 
 the bottom of moft, if not all the grofs fins 
 and wickedneiTes, that are committed in the 
 world ; as for infiance, of all the murders, 
 maflacres, peifecutions, wars, and deflruc- 
 tions of mankind — Of all idolatry, and falfe 
 worlhip; and falfhood of all kind — all grofs 
 errors, and all corruptions, and deviations 
 from truth, which afFe6l religion and 
 morality ; all impiety, irreligion, pro- 
 phanenefs ; and all vile affeclions, and un- 
 natural lufls proceed from him, or are fe- 
 cretly fomented by him. 
 
 In a word, it is manifefl, that his hatred 
 and malice ; his fubtilty, his vigilance, his 
 revengefulntfs, is fuch, that he is the moft 
 dangerous, the moft inveterate, and impla- 
 cable enemy of mankind : And that we 
 fhould never be able to withftand his power 
 to hart and deflioy us, both in body and 
 foul, if he were permitted to exert it to the 
 utmoft. 
 
 But thanks be to God, and our gracious 
 Ecd :tmer, the power of the evil one is not 
 unlimited. . The Lord God omnipotent 
 reigneth over all ; and is mighty to help, 
 and deliver us from the jaws of the deftroyer. 
 
 The 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 235 
 
 The Lord of hofts is with us ; the God of 
 Jacob is our refuge*. 
 
 If we do not give place to the Devil — If 
 we manfully refift him, and are fleadfaftiii 
 the faith, he will flee from us -f*. 
 
 The captain of our falvation hath furnifli- 
 ed us with a complete fuit of chriftian ar- 
 mour, in the ufe of which he will enable 
 us to be more than conquerors, through him 
 who Jlrengtheneth us. And if we will be ad- 
 vifed by the Apoftle, to put on the breajl-plate 
 of right eoufnejs — to take the helmet of [aha- 
 fion, and the fword of thefpirit, which is the 
 word of God; together with prayer, a?jd 
 watching thereunto with all perfeverance, a?id 
 above all, taking the field of faith — having 
 thus put on the whole armour of God, we 
 ftiall befrong in the Lord, and in the power of 
 his might ; and {hall be ahle to /land, in the 
 evil day, againf the wiles of the Dtvil ', and 
 to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one J. 
 
 The Devil was not alone in the tianf- 
 greffion. He fouid means to feduce a nu- 
 merous company of the other angels of God; 
 and to draw them into the a!)o(hicy with 
 him ; whence they were ail involved in the 
 
 * Pf. xivi. 7, I r. 
 
 + Eph. iv. 27. I Pet. V. 9. James iv. 7. 
 
 % Eph. iv. 10. 18. 
 
 fame 
 
236 APPENDIX, 
 
 fame fate. Thus we learn, that, hav-ing 
 failed in their duty, and iinned ; they con- 
 fequently kept net their firft eftate : Or, 
 they kept not their principaHty ; for fo the 
 word Ao%T? is often tranflated in the New 
 Teflament ; and thus it is rendered in the 
 margin here. — Having failed m keeping the 
 principahty, which they were invefted' with 
 in their firft edate ; and 'having thereupon 
 quitted their pofts and llations in heaven ; 
 and left their own proper habitat io?i there, God 
 [pared them not ; but coji them down mto Hell', 
 and delivered them into chains of darknefs, to 
 be referved unto judgment *. Or, as St. Jude 
 exprefits it, in the parallel place, with very 
 little ditF«.rence — lie hath referved them in 
 tverlafiing chains, under darknefs, utito the 
 judgment of the great day f. 
 
 We are elfe where told. That there was 
 ivar in Heaven. Michael and his angels 
 fotig ht againjl the dragon : And the dragon 
 fought, and his a?jgeh ; and prevailed not ; 
 neither was their place found any more in 
 Heaven, And the dragon, called the Devil^ 
 and Satan — xvas cof out into the earth ; and 
 his angels were caf out with him J, 
 
 * 2 Pet. ii. 4. f Judc 6. 
 
 \ Rev. xii. 7, 8j y. 
 
 But 
 
en Scr'ipiure Demonology. 23;^ 
 
 But now here fecms to be feme Incon- 
 fiflency. St. Peler and Sc. Ju^^e fay, that 
 the fallen angels were cad into Hcli; and 
 referved there in everiafling chains of dark- 
 nefs. St. John fays, The Devil was cad 
 out into the earib ; and his angels were caffc 
 out with him ; into the earth likewife, it 
 may be prefumed : And he elfe where fiiys, 
 he was bound, and call: into the bottomlefs 
 pit ; and fhiit up there j but for a thoufand 
 years ; and afterwards looled for a little 
 leafon.*. 
 
 And we have feen from numberlefs places 
 of fcripture, cited in the foregoing enquiry, 
 that the Devil, and his angels, have had 
 the liberty of roaming about in the earth, 
 and doing much mifchief in it. 
 
 Now to reconcile thefe difterenc accounts 
 is the difficulty : And I wonder it was not 
 laid hold on in the eflay on demoniacks ; .s 
 an objcAion of greater weight might be 
 drawn from it, than anv I fee there. 
 
 To remove this difficulty, it fhould be 
 confidered, that we know nothing of the 
 world of (pirits, but what God bath vouch^ 
 iated to reveal to us. His government of it 
 is a perfedl myftery ; and far above cut of 
 
 * Ch. XX. 3. 
 
 our 
 
238 APPENDIX, 
 
 our light. There are many myfleries In the 
 conftitution and government of this vifible 
 world — many dilpenfations and truths in- 
 comprehenfible to us ; and many different 
 meafures planned, and purfued, which feem 
 inconfiftent with, and irreconcileable to each 
 other ; which yet are the refult of confum- 
 mate wifdom, and perfeflly reconcileable in 
 themfelves. 
 
 Mr. Mede was aware of the feeming con- 
 tradi£lion ; and to remove it, renders thofe 
 paflages of St. Peter and St. Jude^ referved, 
 not in, but unto chains of darknefs j im- 
 plying, that they were not to be doomed to 
 their eternal prifons, till the day of final 
 judgment. To which fenfe, he thinks, the 
 Devil's expoflulation with our Saviour re- 
 fers, Art thou come hither to torment us before 
 the timef Alluding to this time of the judg- 
 ment of the great day. And he brings the 
 opinion of feveral of the fathers, which feem 
 to give fome countenance to him ; as they 
 thought, that the fallen angels had their 
 prefent abode in the air, or atmofphere of 
 this earth ; and that this region was their 
 intermediate prifon. His fenfe, in his own 
 words, is, '« That the evil fpirits which 
 finned, being adjudged to hellilh torments, 
 
 were 
 
on Scripture Dsmonology^ 2 'in 
 
 were cafi: out of Heaven, into this lower re- 
 gion ; there to be referved, as in a prilon, 
 for chains of darknefs, at the day of judg- 
 ment*'* 
 
 But I think there is another way of recon- 
 ciling thofe two texts, with the many otliers, 
 which exprefsly inform us, that the I/evil 
 and other evil fpirits ply at large on this 
 earth, and bufy themfelves among the inha- 
 bitants of it : The method I would propcfe 
 for reconciling thefe differences, is fubmitted 
 to the reader, and is as follows : 
 
 That the Devil, and his angels, when 
 they left their heavenly manfions, were, 
 one and all, immediately banifhed to Hell ; 
 and there condemned to continue in a ftate of 
 imprifonment, until the judgment of the 
 great day : —But that God, in the mean time, 
 for wife ends, in his moral government of 
 this world, thought fit to permit fome of 
 them to be occafionally releafed out of their 
 infernal prifons ; in order to make ufe of 
 them, as the executioners of his wrath, 
 and of his judgments, upon a finful world ; 
 and likewife tor corredlion and mercy in tlie 
 end — That they are appointed by him to be 
 
 •* Mr. Mede's works, vol. I. dif. iv. p. 30. And 
 Whitby on 2 Pet. ii, 4. 
 
 the 
 
2AO APPENDIX, 
 
 the llcenfed fcourges of wicked men ; and 
 are made ufe of likewife for the trial of the 
 faith and obedience of mankind in general, 
 by the various temptations, which God per- 
 mits them to be exercifed with by them ; 
 and for many other wife purpofes of his 
 providence. 
 
 When they are employed in this manner, 
 I apprehend they are at the fame time kept 
 UJider levere difcipline ; and have laws, and 
 regulations afiigned them, which they are 
 tied down to a (Iricl obfervance of — -That 
 they are not enlarged out of their confine- 
 ment, but in certain numbers ; for limited 
 times ; and for fpecial purpofes. — That they 
 have their feveral commiflions ; and are kept 
 under reftraint, andcontroul, in the execu- 
 tion of them. — And in this flate, are like 
 prifoners at large, dragging their chains 
 after them — That in fome ages, they are re- 
 leafed, and let out ia greater numbers ; and 
 fuffered to infeft fome perions, and fome 
 parts of the world, more than others ; in 
 proportion to the wickednefs of them that 
 dwell therein. 
 
 We have fome hints in fcripture, which 
 feem to favour conjectures of this kind, 
 ylrt thou come hither to torment us before the 
 
 time f 
 I 
 
on Scripture Dcmonology. 241 
 
 time? Poffibly a certain limited time, which 
 had been affigned lor this party of wicked 
 fpirits, to return to their infernal manfions. 
 They befought him, that he would not 
 command them to go into the deep, sig tov 
 cc^vcra-ov ; ibe boitofnlefs pit^ as we generally 
 tranflate : The fame probably with Tuorupoq^ 
 whence comes rapTa^a;<raf ; which is tranf- 
 lated, cajl down into Hell^, They beggeJ 
 a reprieve for fome time longer, that they 
 might continue in the country, or even be 
 permitted to enter the bodies of fwine ; 
 rather than, as yet, to be remanded to that 
 place of perpetual and mod exquifite tor- 
 hients. 
 
 The Devil himfelf, who had been fufFered 
 to go about before as a roaring lion, was, 
 at a certain period, bound for a thouilmd 
 years, by an angel, which came down from 
 Heaven ; having the key of the bottomlefs 
 pit, and a great chain in his hand : And he 
 caft him into the bottomlefs pit ; and (hut 
 him up ; and fet a feal upon him — till the 
 thoufand years fliould be fulfilled : And 
 after that he muft be loofed for a little 
 feafon f. From thefe places, and fome 
 others, and efpecially from this lad, ic 
 
 * 2 Pet. ii. 4. t Revel, xx. i, 2, 3. 
 
 R fecms 
 
242 APPENDIX, 
 
 feems to appear, That the Devil, and his 
 angels, though imprifoned in Hell, yet arc 
 not all fo clofely confined there ; but that 
 they are occafionally enlarged for limited 
 times, to execute the will of the Almighty 
 in the earth. 
 
 The defcription of the bottomlefs pit — it 
 being committed to the cuftody of a certain 
 angel — his feizing of his prifoner, the 
 Devil ; who it feems was at large before — 
 His binding, and (hutting of him up, for 
 a certain period, and releafing him again — 
 The key — The great chain — The feal, all 
 indicate the greateft certainty, ftridnefs, 
 and pun£luality, in orders relating to it, 
 and its wretched inhabitants ; and likevvife 
 in the execution of them. 
 
 If this conje£lure be admitted, the texts 
 relating to the confinement of the Devil, 
 and his angels, on the one hand, and to 
 their enlargement on the other, labour 
 under no inconfifkency ; but are in perfect 
 agreement with each other. 
 
 To proceed, as it was juft now obferved, 
 that the Devil and his angels are fubjed to 
 the divine controul and government : So it 
 may be inferred, from feveral palTages of 
 fciipture, that they have fome fort of go- 
 vernment among themfelvcs. 
 
 They 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 2^'} 
 
 They muft originally have been united 
 under one head, with proper leaders over 
 them, in the confpiracy which they formed, 
 and in the war, which they waged in 
 heaven. Accordingly we find, that the 
 Devil and his angels are formed into a kind 
 of confederacy, and conftitute forae fort of 
 government, over which he prefides as chief; 
 with fubordinate principalities, and powers, 
 and rulers of darkncfs, under him — That 
 Satan hath a kingdom ; that it is united in 
 itfelf; and the confequence of a divifion in 
 it, is implied in thefe words of our Saviour, 
 If Satan be divided againjl himjelf, bow can 
 his kingdom Jl and ^ He is tbe prince of the 
 devils ; and the prince of the power of the air ; 
 and every fovereign prince mufl: have fub- 
 jedls to reign, and bear rule, over; and to 
 live and a£l in obedience to his commands. 
 There are feveral ranks of evil fpiiits, with 
 chieftains over them. The apoflle firH: men- 
 tions principalities and powers, in general. 
 Then he informs us of rulers of darknefs in 
 this world', by which are underftood terref- 
 trial evilfpirlts ; who have their abode upon 
 earth ; and after that, he takes notice of 
 fpirits of wickednefs, or wicked Ipirits, in 
 high places'. Which are fuppofed to be fuch 
 as occupy the regions of tl:je air : And he 
 R 2 intimates, 
 
2^4 A P P E N D I X, , 
 
 intimates, that we have both the terreftrlat, 
 and the aerial ones, to wreflle, and conten^d 
 with. 
 
 All thefe conliderations fhew how formi- 
 dable our fpiritual enemies are ; and how 
 necefl'ary it is, that we fliould be Jlrong in 
 the Lon], and in the power of his might ; and 
 put on the whole armour of God, that we 
 ^ may be able to Jland againf the wiles of the 
 Devil^. Our comfort is, That the captain 
 of our falvation hath not only furnifhed us, 
 as obferved above, with a complete fuit of 
 chriflian armour, to enable us to withfland 
 them ; but that he hath likewife fpoiled 
 tht^Q principalities and powers ', and divefted 
 them in a good meafure, of their great 
 flrength ; and openly triumphed over them in 
 his crofs -f-. 
 
 We do not find in the fliort hlftory of the 
 bible any exprefs mention of Devils, or other 
 evil fpirits ; or of any that dealt with them, 
 in the firft age of the world. In the patri- 
 archal age, we read of good angels often 
 viiiting and converfing with holy men; re- 
 vealing God's will to them ; and refcuing 
 them from dangers ; and among others, not 
 unlikely, from the incurfions of evil fpirits ; 
 
 ■* Epb, vi. 10, II, 12. t Col. ii. 15. 
 
 X. as 
 
on Scripture Demono/ogy, 245 
 as they fcem to have taken fuch men under 
 their fpecial care and protedion. But of 
 evil fpirits we indeed find no expfefs men- 
 tion in that period. 
 
 Though falfe worfhlp and idolatry, of 
 which they were both tlie authors, and the 
 objects, had appeared, and grown to a great 
 head, in fome countries; even before the 
 patriarchal age. For Abraham^ and his fa- 
 mily had been caft out, and fled from Ur 
 of the Chaldees, becaufe they would not fol- 
 low the gods of their fiithers, and worlhip- 
 ed the God of Heaven *. 
 
 And even this family itfelf, in which the 
 worfhip of the true God had been fet up, 
 and preferved, was not entirely free from all 
 tinilure of fuperlVition and idolatry ; of 
 which Labans "Teraphim are a proof f. 
 Nor win I maintain, there was no charm, 
 or fafcination meant, in Jacob's pilled rods, 
 and in his laying them before tlie ftronger 
 ewes, that they might conceive ring-Jlreakedy 
 fpechled, and /potted lambs among them |. 
 For with what other intent was this con- 
 trivance made ufe of ? Even y'ojtpb had his 
 divining cup §. 
 
 * G^n. xi. 31. Judith v. 7, 8. f Gen. xxxi. 30. 
 I Ch, XXX. 37. ^ Ch. xliv. 5. 
 
 R 3 This 
 
246 APPENDIX,- 
 
 This brings us down to the hiftory of the 
 children of ^rW in Egypt. We here read 
 ot magicians, forcerers, magical arts and 
 inchantments exeiclfed by them on feveral 
 occafions. All idolatrous nations were 
 much addlded to fuch profeffions and prac- 
 tices ; and Egypt was, among all antieut 
 nations, the moH: immerfed in idolatry, and 
 magick likewife. Recourfe was often had 
 by them to forcerers and magicians, in all 
 difficult cafes, and arduous concerns; about 
 which they propofed to confult their gods ; 
 and particularly for obtaining from them 
 an infight into futurity, which mankind 
 was ever addided to pry into : And the gods, 
 whom they confulted, the fcripture in- 
 forms us, were devils, and not gods*. 
 
 The firfl: oecafion on which we find ma- 
 gicians were confulted in Egypt was for the 
 interpretation of Pharaoh' i dream : Whofc 
 fpirit being troubled^ he Jenty and called for all 
 the magicians oj Egypt^ and all the wife men 
 thereof^. But all their wifdom now failed 
 them. None of, them could interpret the 
 monarch's dream. And the interpretation 
 of it was referved by God for Jofph, How- 
 ever in about three geiienuions after this 
 
 * Dcut. xxxii. 17. I Cor. x. 2p. 
 t Gen, 
 
 time. 
 
on Scripture DefJiofwiogy. 247 
 
 time, the magicians and wife men o^ Egypt 
 mapde fuch amazing proficiency in the know- 
 ledge of their dark arts ; or at Laft were fo 
 fuccefsful in the pradliceof them, as not to 
 be paralleled by any who dealt in them, in 
 any other age, or nation, either before, or 
 after. 
 
 In the time of Mofes, Pharaoh appears to 
 have had much confidence in his magicians. 
 For when Mofcs applied to him for the re- 
 leafe of the IfraeUtes^ he feems to have put 
 the proof of his miffion upon miracles ; and to 
 have been ready to rival him in them. This, 
 I think, is clearly implied in the text, Jhew 
 a miracle for you * ; And that in confequence 
 of fuch a challenge it was, that Aaron 
 turned his rod into a ferpent. Upon which 
 Pharaoh prefently called the wife men, and 
 forcer er 5: And the magicians of Egypt did in 
 like manner with their enchantments : For 
 they cafi down every man his rod-, and they be^ 
 came ferpent s -f-. 
 
 Thefe are fiippofed to have been priefls of 
 fome of their talie gods ; and were reckoned 
 highly {killed in art m.agick. According to 
 Art af anus, in Rujebius, they v/erc the 
 prieds of Memphis, fetched from thence 
 
 * Exod. vii. 9. f Ibid 1 1, 12. 
 
 R 4 to 
 
248 , APPENDIX, 
 
 to oppofe Mofes * : Which there might have 
 been time for, from his firfl: interview with 
 Pharaoh ; vvho might have heard o^ Mofes' s 
 power to work miracles, and particularly 
 of his turning his rod into a ferpent ; which 
 though done in private, .might have gone 
 abroad among the Ijraelitesy and from them, 
 among the Egyptians. A nd from what Js 
 obferved above, Pharaoh feems ^o have 
 been prepared for Mofes by the next time he 
 came j and his magicians might in the 
 mean while have had opportunity for con- 
 fulting their oracles, and ftudying the art of 
 turning flicks mto ferpents, in appearance, 
 if not in reality. Methinks tliey muft have 
 had fome fpace of time for it ; rather than 
 that it fhould be doneinftantaneoufly. 
 
 St. Paul hath preferved the names of the 
 two chief of the magicians, Jannes and 
 Jambres f. 
 
 Whether the miracles they wrought 
 were real, or counterfeit, hath been much 
 doubted, and controverted. The true flate 
 of the cafe feems to have been this. 
 
 * Eufeb. praep. evang. lib. ix. cap. 8. where their 
 charatler, and that of M(^es, may be leen from Numenius 
 a heathen philofopher. 
 
 f 2 1 im, iii, 8. 
 
 ' ' " Thefe 
 
en Scripture Dernonology, 249 
 
 Thefe miracles, whether real or fidlitious, 
 were performed, or pretended, either by the 
 help of forne invifible powers ; or by the 
 mere art of the magicians themlelves. The 
 latter was impoffible. They were above 
 the Iktll or power, of any mortal to at- 
 tempt. No juggler ever pretended to con- 
 vert (licks into living creatures ; or to a 
 preative power of making fi'ogs, or any 
 reptile whatfoever ; much lefs in fuch 
 numbers, as the text implies. We have 
 lately had among us artifts in legerdemain, 
 not inferior perhaps to any that ever exlfted ; 
 who yet never attempted any fuch feats. 
 
 It muft therefore have been by the affif* 
 tance of fome invifible Beings, that the 
 Egyptian magicians were enabled to pro- 
 duce fuch wonderful pha:noniena. For that 
 thefe miracles afcribed to the magicians, 
 yjtvt wrought immediately by the finger of 
 God himfelf, is a fuppofition, though enter- 
 tained by fome, that is not to be endured. 
 
 The Egyptian forcerers undoubtedly had 
 a high opinion of the power of tho(e gods, 
 whole priefts they were. All their crtdit 
 was now at ftake ; and the power of their 
 gods brought to the teft. Here was a no- 
 table miracle vyrought by the prieil of a GoA, 
 
 whom 
 
250 APPENDIX, 
 
 whom they did not acknowledge ; and if 
 they could not equal it, their own reputa- 
 tion, and the honour of their gods, muft 
 fuffer, and fink to the ground. They 
 were ordered to try what they could do. 
 Their own interefl:, as well as credit, con- 
 curred in impelling them to do their ut- 
 moft. They did not know how far the 
 power of their gods extended. This was 
 the time to prove it. We do not know, 
 any more than they, what power any 
 created fpirits have. We know, indeed, 
 becaufe we are informed, that the holy 
 angels of God excel Injirength^, We know 
 likewife, that evil angels are greater in 
 power and 77nght than us feeble mortals "j-, 
 and that Satan worketh with all power ^ and 
 Jtgnsy and lying wonders\. This was the 
 god, whom they ignorantly worlhiped, 
 and applied to, on this occafion : And he, 
 we may be fure, was determined to exert 
 his flrength to the utmoft ftretch of it. 
 He fucceeded in the firft attempt, and pro- 
 duced ferpents, real, or apparent, more 
 
 * Pfalm ciii. 20. 
 f 2 Pet. ii. II. 
 + 2 Thef. ii. g. 
 
 than 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 251 
 
 than one, from rods, as well as Aaron, 
 Thus far the magicians were upon an equa- 
 lity with him ; and even outdid him, in re- 
 gard to the number. But what gave him 
 the fuperiority over them was, that his 
 ferpent proved too powerful for them, and 
 fwallowed them all, whatever their num- 
 bers were. Or, as the word, v'?3S ^"^^J be 
 tranflated, dejlroyed them, in fome man- 
 ner or other; but how, is of no confe- 
 quePiCe. A man muft be ftrangcly bigotted 
 to a notion, not to acknowledge a fuperiority 
 here *. 
 
 This, however, did not difcourage them 
 from making a fecond, and a third experi- 
 ment; and their fuccefs anfwered the height 
 of their wifhes. They turned water into 
 blood ; and produced frogs, as well as Mofei 
 and Aaron. * 
 
 On this latter occafion, Mojes faid to 
 Pharaoh^ Glory over me •\, The commen-> 
 tators are much perplexed, in their at- 
 tempts to account for Mofes\ addrefling 
 Pharaoh in thefe terms. But Pharaoh could 
 have well gloried over MofeSy if, by his 
 
 * See Farmir on Miracles, p. 447. 
 ^ Exod. viii. 9. 
 
 magicians. 
 
252 APPENDIX, 
 
 n;)agiclans, and the power of his gods, he 
 could have deftroyed the fwarms of frogs, 
 which fo univerfally infefted the land, e'^oen 
 unto the kings chambers *. 1 his would 
 have been fo falutary and beneficial a mi- 
 racle, as would have given him a clear fu- 
 periority over Mofes, And this Mofes fairly 
 challenged him to do. 
 
 " You defire me tointreat the Lord, that 
 he may take away the frogs. Order your 
 magicians to take them away themfelves ; 
 and then glory over ms. You will have very 
 juft grounds for it." But this challenge 
 produced nothing but filence. Upon which, 
 Mofes afked, When Jloall I tntreat for thee f 
 —This feems to me the moil: fatisfaftory 
 account of this otherwife obicure paflage. 
 There Ihould be a full flop, in our tranfla- 
 tion, after the words, Glory over me^ to fuit 
 this fenfe of it. 
 
 , Neither the healing of the waters turned 
 into blood, and reftoring them to their for- 
 mer falubrity; nor the deftroying of the 
 frogs, was in the power or thoughts of the 
 magicians. The imitations of thefe mira^ 
 ^i^lous plagues, which were grievous 
 
 * Pfalm cv. 30, 
 
 enough 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 251 
 
 enough already, and needed i>ot to be mul- 
 tiplied, was what ,they were folely intent 
 upon. 
 
 But they could proceed no farther ; and 
 their folly was manifejl unto all men *. Upon 
 their attempting to produce lice, their ulual 
 enchantments quite failed them : And they 
 could not help acknowledging, that this 
 miracle was the finger of God; though it 
 doth not fcem to have been a greater, or 
 more difficult one, than the production of 
 frogs, or ferpents. Some account for their 
 ill fuccefs, from the want of any previous 
 warning of this plague, which they had of 
 the former ones. But their mifcarriage was 
 manifcftly owing to a flop being put by the 
 Almighty to their farther pretentions, ^be 
 illufions of art magick were put down ; and 
 their vaunting in wifdom was reproved with 
 dif grace -f, 
 
 Mofes proceeded to inflidl feveral other mi- 
 raculous plagues, which they never attempt- 
 ed to imitate : And, among the reft, the 
 plague of boils, breaking out in blains upon 
 man and beaft : And the boil was upon the 
 magicians J, as well as upon all the Egyp* 
 
 * 2 Tim. iii.g. f VVifd. xviii. 7. 
 
 J Exod. ix. II. 
 
 tians. 
 
254 APPENDIX, 
 
 lians. This was at once a judgement npoti 
 them for their prefumption ; and an evi- 
 dence of their impotence to heal themfelves 
 of it. 
 
 On the other hand : Thofe wonderful 
 works, furpaffing any human (kill or power, 
 which the magicians did perform, are an 
 inconteflable proof of the exiftence of de- 
 mons, or evil fpirits, by whofe aid they 
 were enabled to perform them ; and that it 
 was uot,Jine jiwnijte (Ia:vo) that they brought 
 them to pafs. 
 
 To account for thefe flupendous miracles 
 of theirs — to reconcile them to our notions 
 of the divine attributes — and to clear up 
 the whole of thefe dark and perplexing in- 
 tricacies relating to them, is the great diffi- 
 culty; the folution of which, notwith- 
 ftanding, I think, we need not defpair of. 
 
 The Pfalmift Informs us, that God cajl 
 upon the Egyptians the Jiercenefs of his anger , 
 wraihy and indignation^ and trouble ; by 
 
 SENDING EVIL ANGELS AMONG THEM*. 
 
 This is a text of great importance. It lets 
 us into the difcovery of fome meafures ia 
 the divine ceconomy, which perhaps we 
 
 ' * Pfalm Ixxviii. 49. 
 
 might 
 
on Scrlptiire Det/wnology, 25^ 
 
 might otherwife have ever conthiued in ig- 
 norance of. 
 
 The manner in which God call: his fierce 
 ^nger and indignation upon them undoubt- 
 edly was, by vifiting them with fo many 
 grievous plagues ; fome of which are re- 
 counted in this pfalm immediately before, 
 and fome immediately after this pafTage ; as 
 exprefhons of his anger, and heavy dif- 
 pleafure againft them. But this his fore 
 anger, we are here told, was caft upon 
 them, by fe?2ding evil angels among them. 
 Hence, therefore, I think it clearly appears, 
 that thefe were the meflengers of the divine 
 wrath ; and the inftruments which God 
 Almighty was pleafed to employ, in in- 
 fli.5ting thefe plagues upon the Egyptians, 
 They feared and troubled them with beafts 
 that pajjed by, hijjing of ferpents, monjirous 
 apparitions, and fad vifions, with heavy coun- 
 tenances, which they exhibited to them, in 
 that thick darknefsy which might be felt ; this 
 being one of thofe plagues, by which they 
 were much terrified, cLiid died with fear ; as 
 the wife Hebrew defcribes at large in a very 
 affefling manner *. 
 
 From the dreadful circumftances, and par- 
 ticular incidents, which we here meet with 
 
 in 
 
^^6 AiPPENDiX^ 
 
 in the defcription of one of the plagues of 
 Sgvpf, we inay conclude, how inconceiv- 
 ably terrible they muft all have been, had 
 they been given us more in detail. The 
 Mofaick hifloryjin this, as in other refpedtSj 
 is very concife. The ten plagues of Egypt 
 are fubdivided by the CbalJee paraphraft on 
 Pfaim Ixxviii. 49, above-mentioned, and 
 reckoned to amount to a great number in- 
 deed : And they are imputed to evil angels. 
 " Got', fays he, lent upon them two hundred 
 and fifty plagues, in the anger of his fury, 
 in the nidignation, and expulfion, and dif* 
 trcfs, which were inflidled at that time, by 
 the hands of evil angels.'* 
 
 Mofes himfelf in his account of one of the 
 plagues, makes exprefs mention of ibe de- 
 Jlroyer^ by whofe inftru mentality it appears 
 it was, that hefmote all the firji born of the 
 Egyptians *. And he is followed herein by 
 another infpired writer t* The dejiroyer is 
 an appellation of the Devil ; and it is he 
 probably, or fome other deftroying angel, 
 that is here meant. Deftroying angels and 
 deftroyers, appear to have been made ufe of 
 by God, on other occaiions ; and they are 
 generally thought to be evil angels J. Th^ 
 
 *Exod. vil. 23, 29, compared. 
 
 t Heb. XI. -8. 
 
 + 2 Sam. xxiv. 17. i Chr. xxi. 15. 1 Cpr. x. ro. 
 
 Targum 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 2^7 
 
 I'argum on Pfalm xii. 6, imputes the deftruc- 
 tion that wajietb at noon- day to troops of 
 demons. And the Jews afcribe many of the 
 plagues and evils of life to wicked fpirits. 
 
 The Lord of the creation may employ 
 any of his creatures, good or bad, as inflru- 
 ments of his will ; whether it be for judg- 
 ment, for corrc6lion, or for mercy. He 
 admits of the fervices, the prophecies, and 
 the miracles of wicked men. Such was 
 Balaam ; and fuch were thofe, who faid. 
 Lord, Lord, Have we not prophefied in thy 
 name ? And in thy name cajl out Devils ? 
 And in thy name done many wonderful 
 'Works * f 
 
 Why therefore might not God make ufe 
 of the minlftry of evil angels, in inflicliing 
 the plagues of Egvpt ? 
 
 Now admitting this to have been the 
 cafe, we can from hence account for their 
 fuccefs, in turning the waters into blood, 
 and in producing frogs, a fecond time ; as 
 thefe miracles were no more than a repeti- 
 tion of what they had been empowered to 
 perform before ; the power of repeating 
 them having not been withdrawn from 
 
 * Matt. vii. 22. Compare Jo. xi. 51. i Cor. xiii. 2. 
 
 S them. 
 
258 APPENDIX, 
 
 them. And, as for their turning the rods 
 into ferpents ; this was permitted, as it ter- 
 minated in God's glory ; into which it was 
 converted. 
 
 When the plague of lice was inflided, 
 the magicians attempted to bring forth lice 
 likewife, by their inchantmenis ; flattering 
 themfelvea with hopes of the hke fuccefs, 
 as they had met with on the former occa- 
 fions. 
 
 But when, upon finding themfelves dif- 
 appointed, they acknowledged to Pharaohy 
 that thi^ was the finger of God\ this implies 
 that they looked upon the former miracles 
 of Mofes, as having been performed by the 
 help of the fame powers, with thofe, by 
 whom they knew they themfelves had been 
 enabled to contend with him: Nor did 
 they know till now, but that he, and Aaron 
 might have been magicians, like them- 
 felves ; and might have gone the fame way 
 to work ; as the fame fpirits were inftru- 
 mental in producuig the fame miracles. 
 Bv this tell thev were convinced, that 
 thefe their gods were inferior Beings; who, 
 on this occalion, aded in fubferviency to 
 the fupreme power and will of the Almighty 
 Creator, and Lord of heaven and earth ; 
 
 whom, 
 
on Scripture Demo?iology, 259 
 
 whom, it feems, they had not loft all 
 knowledge of. 
 
 The plagues of Egypt were all miracu- 
 lous. The imitations of them by the ma- 
 gicians, as far as they went, were in all 
 appearance, and according to the fcripture- 
 account, miraculous likewife. And as God 
 fometimes thinks fit to make ufe of, or 
 permit, the worft of Beings to work mi- 
 racles : So he can put a flop to them, when 
 he pleafes ; and can prevent, or defeat, any 
 impoflures that are attempted, under the 
 umbrage of them; and fruftrate their ill 
 efFe6ls : As we find he did, in difabling the 
 magicians from proceeding to perform the 
 miracle of turning the duft into lice ; or any 
 others. 
 
 Mofl probably, the inftrumentality cf 
 thofe evil angels having been abufed before 
 by them, was likewife laid alide, in the per- 
 formance of the remaining miracles ; ex- 
 cepting that, in which it is cxpreffly faid, 
 the dejlroyer was employed. 
 
 Maimon'ides fufpe£led,' that all miracles 
 might be wrought by the power of magick 
 and incantation *. 
 
 '^ Maim, de Fund. Leg. cap. viii. feiS:. r. 
 
 S 2 But 
 
t6o APPENDIX, 
 
 But If fo, I know not of what figniflca- 
 tion he could think the miracles of God 
 coukl be. No miracle, I am fully fatisfied, 
 can be performed, by any other Being, or 
 any other means; but by his appoinment, 
 or permiffion, who is at the helm of the 
 whole univerfe, and guides every movement 
 of it. 
 
 No portion of Scripture wanted more to 
 be cleared up, than this relating to the rival 
 powers of the magicians. Many folutions 
 of the difficulty have been offered : But 
 none, I think, that hath entirely re- 
 moved It. This attempt prefents the 
 whole in a new light ; and, I flatter myfelf, 
 it is the true one : But of that the impartial 
 reader is to judge. 
 
 We have feen to wliat a height magical 
 arts were carried in Egypt. It was natural 
 for the Ifraelites, and almoll: unavoidable, 
 from their continuance in that country 
 for fo many ages, to catch the contagion, 
 and to imbibe the ill principles and practices 
 of their mailers : For the correding of 
 which, many of the laws of Mofes appear 
 to have been efpecially calculated. Among 
 others, we find, there were very fcvere 
 
 laws 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 261 
 
 Jaws made againfl witches, wizards, and 
 necromancers. 
 
 Thefe were capital offenders. Tbau jljalt 
 not fuffer a witch to live *. A man, or zvo- 
 man, thai hath a familiar fpirit, or that is 
 a wizard, fiall furely be put to death t. The 
 confulting of fuch was highly ofFenfive to 
 God ; and was pnnifhed with extermina- 
 tion, ^he foul that turneth after fuch as 
 have familiar fpir its, and after wizards, to 
 go a ivhoring after them ; / will even ft jny 
 face againf that foul ; and will cut him off 
 from among my people J. 'there fhall not be 
 found among you one that ufeth divination, or 
 an obferver of times, or an enchanter, or a 
 witch : Or a charmer, or a confulter with fa- 
 miliar fpirits, or a wizard, or a necro?na?i- 
 cer\\. Where we fee there is fpecial pro- 
 vifion repeatedly made againft all thefe nij- 
 farious and infernal pradlices. They were 
 all abominations, for which Egypt was fo 
 infamous ; and for which likewile, we are 
 
 * Exod. xxii. 18. 
 
 ■f Lev. XX. 27. 
 
 + Ver. 6. See ch. xix. 26, 31. 
 
 jl Dt'Ut. xviii. 10, II. 
 
 S '2 informed, 
 
262 APPENDIX, 
 
 informed, the Lord drove the Canaanites out 
 of the land *. 
 
 The word, which our tranflators render a 
 familiar Jp'irit^ in the original is y\'^\ for which 
 tranflation we are told, " they are not 
 «« wholly to be condemned." If they are 
 to be condemned in any meafure, a better 
 tranflation ought to be offered. Inftead of 
 that, it is remarked, that the word denotes 
 only a hottk'-heUied perfon, and infinuated, 
 that no more is lignified by it-f-". But a 
 poor creature mud be very unfortunate; 
 and the laws of Mofes mufl have been very 
 whimlical, as well as tyrannical, to con- 
 demn fuch a wretch to be ftoned to death, for 
 the unfavourable make of his body. The fe- 
 verity of the punifiiment evinces the reality 
 iof the pofle(iion. And this rendering, 
 which was introduced by the lafl tranfla- 
 tors, I think, is a very happy one, and 
 conveys the proper idea, in as clear and he- 
 coming terms, as any antient or modern one 
 whatfoever. 
 
 The word is tranflated sfyu^ptf^vOog by 
 the LXX. ten times. The Syriack tranf- 
 
 * Deut. xviii. 12. 
 
 I See Farmv on Miracles; p. 273. 
 
 lates 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 263 
 
 lates by a word that anfwers to a forcerer. 
 The Arabkk^ by a word figiiifying a magi- 
 cian; which is much the fame. The Ful- 
 gate renders Fytho -, in which it is followed 
 by fome Liter traiiliatioiis. Among our 
 old Englifli tranflators, Coverdak renders it, 
 a foythfaycr ; Tindal, one that workcth iviib 
 a Jpryte; and Matthews and Cranmer tranf- 
 late much in the fame manner. — A familiar 
 fpirit fignifies an inmate of that kind, or 
 an intimate attendant upon one; that is 
 poflefled by^ or addicled to it. 
 
 This tranflation, it is true, is a little para- 
 phraftical ; if the gentleman, who objects 
 to it, will be pleafcd to improve upon it, 
 he will be entitled to thanks. 
 
 But, if he really wants to know the full 
 import of the original word, let him con- 
 fult Fidler^ or the learned Seldefi, with 
 Beyer's additions; in which he will Hnd, 
 that the word, 3'l^^, bears five different 
 fenfes in Scripture; andofthefc, that which 
 he rcprefents it in, is the lowell:*. 
 
 The Pythonefs was inflated by the pofTef- 
 fing demon, as the original name imports ; 
 
 * Vide Seldeni Syntagma cle Teraphim, cum addita- 
 mentls Reycri. Et Fuller! Mifc. Sacr.i, lib. I. -cap. xvi. 
 
 S 4 and 
 
264 APPENDIX, 
 
 and refembled a pregnant woman : And 
 hence, J dpubt not, arofe the corrupt opi- 
 nion of old, that the demons cohabited 
 with females of the human race, and had 
 iffue by them. Which it is not improbable, 
 that thefe Pythonejjes often had, though not 
 by demons ■*. 
 
 When they were feized, and rapt by the 
 demons, they fell into fits of raving and 
 frenzy ; in which they loft themfelves, not 
 knowing what they faid, or did, as Origen 
 defcribes themf: And this anfwers to the 
 defcription of feveral of the gofpel demo- 
 niacks. 
 
 We find In the Hebrew republick fome 
 early inftances of • the people's pronenefs to 
 falfe worlliip and idolatry; with which di- 
 vination and magick were connedled of 
 courfe. Gideon made an ephod — aiid all If- 
 rael went a whoring after it : JFhich thing 
 became a fiiare unto Gideo?i, and to his hotife'^. 
 Whatever the nature of this E^/?^.'/ was, it 
 
 * Thus our prophet Merlin was fathered upon an In- 
 cubuSy to cloak the fliame of the nun, his mother; 
 who was funpofed to have been impregnated by the Ro' 
 jnan general. 
 
 t Origen contra Celfum, lib. vii. p. 333. 
 
 X Judges viii. 27. 
 
 : was 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 265 
 
 was egregloufly mifapplied, and made the 
 inftrument of the people's infideUty to their 
 Cod, whom they had been efpoufed and 
 devoted to. As foon as Gideoti was dead, 
 the children of Ifrael turned again jrom God, 
 became more open idolaters, and went a 
 whoring after Baalim^ and made Baal-berith 
 their God*. It would be endlefs to recount 
 the names of all the falle gods, whofe wor- 
 fhip the Ifraelites adopted, and were, 'more 
 or lefs, addicled to, through all the periods 
 of their republick, till the JJfyrian capti- 
 vity of the ten tribes ; and the Babylonifj cap- 
 tivity of the two remaining ones ; into both 
 which they were all driven for their idola- 
 try ; and by which the latter were at length 
 reclaimed from it. 
 
 Though they had from the beginning a 
 divine oracle, and infpired prophets, to 
 confult and advife with; yet w^ere they 
 very prone at all times to betake themfelves 
 to thofe that had familiar fpirits, and to 
 wizards, and diviners. This rendered their 
 offence the more inexcufeable, as they addicl- 
 ed themfelves to thofe practices, in difdalii 
 and del'pight of thofe better and more certain 
 
 ♦ Chap. ix. 38. 
 
 lights; 
 
266 APPENDIX, 
 
 lights ; which were held out to them, in 
 oppofition to thofe falfe and deluiive ones, 
 from which they were intended to draw 
 them. 
 
 To proceed in pointing out fome parti- 
 culars. Agreeably to what hath been ob- 
 ferved already, we read, that God fent an 
 evil fpirit between Abimilech and the men of 
 Shlckent', for no good purpofe we may be 
 fure, as appears by the context, which 
 their attachment to falfe gods fubjeded 
 them to*. 
 
 Mkah had an houfe of gods, in which were 
 a graven image, and a molten image \ and he 
 made an ephod and Teraphim ; and confecrated 
 one of his fons, who became his prieji -f*. Here 
 we find thefe Teraphim again ; and they ap- 
 pear to have been in fuch frequent ufe, and 
 general eftimation, that they occur no lefs 
 than fifteen times in the Old Teflament. 
 They are fuppofed to have been a kind of 
 Taffmans, by which future events were 
 prognofticated : Or amulets kept in families, 
 and by fingle perfons, for the cure of dif- 
 lempers, and protedlion from harm |;. 
 
 * Judges ix. 23. 27. 
 
 •J- Chap, xxviii. 4, 5, 6. 
 
 X Vide Seldcn & Fuller, ubi fupra. 
 
 From 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 267 
 
 From the fcripture accounts of them, I 
 take them, with regard to their conftruc- 
 tlon, to have been none other than fmall 
 images of their LnreSy or houfliold gods ; 
 which were fuppofed to have fome virtue for 
 that purpofe. 
 
 Witches and wizards became fo nume- 
 rous, and the pradlice of confulting them 
 was become fo pernicious in the time of 
 Saul, that this prince found it neceffary 
 to put thofe that had familiar fpirits^ and the 
 'Wizards, out of the land', a7id to cut them 
 off^, Notwithftanding this, he foon after- 
 wards found him (elf in fuch a ftreight, that 
 when the Lord would not anfvver him, 
 either by dreams, or by Uriin, or by pro- 
 phets; he was tempted to have recourfe to 
 a woman, that had a familiar fpirit, to en- 
 quire of her 3 and employ her to bring up 
 the ghoft of Samuel, to be confulted with 
 by him, in his diftrefs t- 
 
 Bilhop Patrick fuppofes it was an evil 
 fpirit that perfonated Samuel's ghofti and 
 that he had been employed by God to de- 
 clare his mind to ^aul^ concerning his 
 
 •* I Sam. xxxiii. 3. 9, 
 •J- lb. ver. 7 . 
 
 approaching 
 
268 APPENDIX, 
 
 approaching fatCj agreeably to what is ob- 
 ferved above, that God may make ufe of 
 the inftrumentality of evil fpirits, for wife 
 purpofes of his providence. And agreeably 
 lii^evv'ife to what we havefeen concerning the 
 . artifices of thefe evil fpirits, in perfonating 
 the fouls of the dead in polTeffions. 
 
 SauPs ottence, in afkmg counfel of one 
 that had a familiar fpirit, and not enquiring 
 of the Lord, was fo great, that God is laid 
 to have (lain him on that account *. 
 
 This was but putting the law above- 
 mentioned in execution againd him — that 
 law which he had lately put in execution 
 himfelf, againft thofe that had familiar 
 fpirits. 
 
 It is true, the Lord had once refufed to 
 anfwer him ; and therefore, in difguft, or 
 defpair, he turned aiide, and had recourfe 
 to forbidden counfels. But had he perfe- 
 vered in his requeft, God might at length 
 have been prevailed upon to fatisfy his en- 
 quiries. Though he anfwer ed him not that 
 day ^ ; he might have anfwered him the 
 morrow. It was SauVs hafty and impatient 
 fpirit, on this occaiion, as upon others J; 
 particularly, in not waiting but perhaps a 
 few minutes longer for SamuePs arrival, be- 
 
 * I Chron. X. 14. t i Sam. xiv. 37. % Ver. 19. 
 
 fore 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 269 
 
 fore he offered facrifice, that proved his 
 ruin *. 
 
 Saul himfelf was at times troubled with 
 an evil fpirit. When the fpirit of the Lord 
 departed from Smd, an evil fpirit from the 
 Lord troubled him -f-. 
 
 Saul had once a good fetting out; and 
 had he conftantly followed the guidance of 
 God's Holy Spirit, he could never have 
 mifcarried ; but would have prbfpered, and 
 been as fucccfsful as Jofljua, Gideon^ J^ph- 
 tha I, and other worthies were, who went 
 before him under the fame divine leader. 
 But Saul bavins; more than once difrep^arded 
 the fpirit of the Lord||; He then, and not 
 till then, forfook him likewife, and aban- 
 doned hmi to the incurfions of the evil 
 fpirit §. 
 
 This is called an evil fpirit from the Lord; 
 as being commiffioned by God to execute 
 his judgments upon this wicked prince ; 
 and to inflict this punifliment upon him ; 
 
 *■■ I Sam. xiii. 8. 
 f Chap. xvi. 14 
 \ Deut. xxxiv. 9. 
 II Judg. iii. 10. — vi. 34. — xi. 29. 
 § Com. I Sam. xiii. 13. — xiv. 37. — xv. 11. with 
 ch. xvi. 14. 
 
 whereby 
 
270 APPENDIX, 
 
 whereby he was, at times, terrified, and 
 troubled, and thrown into fits of frenzy and 
 diflra6lion. 
 
 Jofephm reprefents Saurs cafe as demonia- 
 cal ; for that after the departure of the good 
 fpirit, he fell sig uraQi/i ^eiva jcoci ScufjLovioi, into 
 demoniacal paffions ; and had, utto rm Ioli- 
 fjLovuv rtx^axn^i perturbations from demons. 
 And that he was taken with fits and fancies 
 of fuifocation, like a demoniack. And he 
 makes Jonathan remind Saul, that it was 
 Davidwho cured him of his dark fplenetick 
 fits ; and drove the evil fpirit from him *. 
 
 All the fathers are agreed, that Sau/'s 
 cafe was demoniacal. I take it to have 
 been a mixt cafe ; partly natural and partly 
 demoniacal. The beft account I can give 
 of it is as follows. 
 
 Sau/, having been informed by Samuel, 
 that God had determined to deprive him, 
 and his heirs, of the kingdom ; becaufe of 
 his difobedience and rebellion ; in not 
 hearkening to the voice of the prophet, on 
 two feveral occafions ; was fo deeply affec- 
 ted with the misfortune ; and fo enraged at 
 
 * Antiq. lib. vi. cap. ix. 13. 
 
 himfelf 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 271 
 
 hlmfelf for being the fole caufe of it ; that 
 whenever the thoughts of it occurred to 
 hini, he at length grew quite diflraded, for 
 the time. And as it often happens, that 
 when a man is difpleafed with his own 
 condu£l, he is apt to vent his paffion upon 
 other people j and even fometimes, upon 
 thofe that are nearef}, and deareft to him : 
 So Sauli in thofe fits of frenzy, often fought 
 to kill David : And Jonatha?! too narrowly 
 efcaped the efFeds of his fury. 
 
 As he was become fo outrageous, at times, 
 and fo much to be dreaded by all about 
 him ; it was every one's bufmefs to keep 
 him in good humour, as much as poffible. 
 For which purpofe, his courtiers thought 
 mufick might be of fervice to calm and af- 
 fuage his paffions : And David having 
 been introduced to court, as being well- 
 ikilled in the harp, his playing upon it 
 proved of great fervice in this refpedt, and 
 relieved him much, as occafion required. 
 
 The fpirit of the Lord having departed 
 from Saul, the evil fpirit, who watches all 
 opportunities of falling upon us, and never 
 milies any advantage he can find againft us, 
 flruck in with Saul's vveaknefs, and heighten- 
 ed his diforder. For it hath been well ob- 
 2 fcrved, 
 
272 APPENDIX, 
 
 ferved, " That it is probable evil fpirits lay 
 " hold of the indirpofition of the body, to 
 -*' diftrefs the foul, and infult human rea- 
 *' foil, by occupying the imagination un- 
 " naturally — That diforders of reafon are 
 ** often the efrecls of, and attended by, this 
 " unnatural occupation, by fpirits, who have 
 *' not power enough to invade the quiet of 
 '* the foul, till its origin be previoufly dif- 
 '« ordered. — And that the region of memory 
 " is darkened by this means." 
 
 It is very probable likewife, that when 
 men caft off the fear of God, and prove re- 
 bellious againft him, he withdraws his pro- 
 te6lion ; and " takes off the curb, that re- 
 *' ftains the power of evil fpirits : And they 
 '* may then terrify the foul with unpleaf- 
 *' ing fights, vifible only to thofe, againft 
 *' whom they are thus let out, as the poet 
 *' tells us, Pentbeus and Orejies were purfued 
 " by vifible furies, the one for facrifice, the 
 *' other for parricide." This is agreeable 
 to the defcription relative to the plagues of 
 Kgypt, in Wifd. xvii, above taken notice 
 of. I wifti that whole chapter were here 
 again perufed, and compared with what is 
 obferved above. 
 
 5 
 
on Scripture Demonology, ijx 
 
 ** Ic is certain, as our chriftian philofb- 
 *' pher adds, that thefe diforders of rea- 
 " foil appear after grief, love, or fome 
 "great difappoiutment, have difcompofed 
 '' the brain *." 
 
 It is probable SauPs cafe was fomething 
 fimilar to thofe above mentioned from the 
 poets, and comes under the like defcription. 
 At leaft, that it was notof fo flight a nature, 
 as the author of the Eflay on Demoniacks 
 makes it to be -f*. 
 
 David did not play on the harp to charm 
 the evil fpirit ; but to calm and compofe 
 the difturbed imagination, and allay the 
 natural diforder ; upon which the man 
 being reftored to his right mind, the Jplrit 
 of the Lor^ returned and chafed away the 
 evil fpirit from him J. 
 
 It is hinted above. That diforders of the 
 underftanding often affe6l the memory. 
 This might have been Saul's cafe, in having 
 loil all knowledge of David ; who had 
 been fo often in his prefence and company ; 
 
 * Enquiry into the human Soul. vol. ii. p. 14^. 148. 
 
 I P. 174. 
 
 + I Sam. xvi. 14. xix. 23. 
 
 T w^om 
 
274 APPENDIX, 
 
 whom he had admitted into fuch intimacies 
 with him ; and was fo fond of, that he made 
 him his armour-bearer, and greatly delighted 
 in his mufick*. 
 
 If we take this clue along with us, it 
 will help us to unravel the inconfiftences 
 which otherwife appear in this part of SauVs 
 hiftory ; without fuppofing any tranfpoli- 
 tion in it, as fome do. Saurs lofs of me- 
 mory might have been the refult of a dif- 
 ordered, and impaired mind, among other 
 inftances of it. As for Ahners being a 
 flranger to JD^i;/^/ perfon ; that is fufficiently 
 accounted for, from fuppofing him to have 
 been abfent in the wars ; when David hap- 
 pened to be at court. 
 
 To pafs on now to fome other cafes. God 
 put an evilfpirit in the mouth of all Ahah'' s 
 prophets ;' to the number of four hundred ; in 
 order to intice him to go up, and fall at 
 Raimth Gilead^, Thefe were the pro- 
 phets of the grove, who were jufl fo many 
 in number ; and were maintained by Je- 
 zebel \. The meafure of this wicked prince's 
 iniquities being filled up ; and having made 
 
 ^ I Sam. xvi. 21, 22, 23'. 
 f 2 Chr. xvili. ig. 
 % I Kings xviii. ig. 
 
 him 
 7 
 
on Scripture "Demonology. 275 
 
 him ripe for deftiuf^ion ; God thought fit to 
 bring it about in this manner, by faltering 
 him to be milled by thofe falfe propliets, in 
 whom he had always fo much confidea : But 
 notwithftanding he forewarned him of it, 
 by the mouth of his own true prophet Mi- 
 catah ; that he might have it in his power 
 to avoid it. 
 
 This is reprefented by way of vifion ; in 
 which it is faid, that Mica'iah faw God fit- 
 ting on his throne, and ail the hoft of 
 heaven landing by him; the good angels 
 on his right hand, and the bad ones on his 
 left ; to fhew the deliberate purpofe of the 
 -» Almighty to punifli Ahah in this manner ; 
 and at the fame time to indicate to us, that 
 he hath in fa(5t, at all times, miniflers of 
 his will, in readinefs to execute it, as well 
 in punifhing the difobedient, as in reward- 
 ing his obedient fervants. 
 
 The event verified tiie predidion, and 
 confirmed the truth of the information 
 which it contained : But I prefume it is not 
 necelfary to fuppofe, that Mkaiah had in 
 reality any fuch vifion ; for that he himfelf, 
 in order to undeceive ^Z?^^, if poiiible, might 
 have contrived this innocent, and well- 
 meant fidion ; to inform him, in this flrik- 
 
 T 2 in^ 
 
276 APPENDIX, 
 
 ir.g manner, that it was by the determinate 
 council of the Almighty, that he gave him 
 up, to be infatuated by the delufion of evil 
 fpirits ; and to be mifled by them into his 
 own ruin ; as a juft judgment upon him, 
 for his great and manifold tranfgreliions. 
 
 At the fame time we may obferve, that 
 the ftrong expreflions in this palliige, and in- 
 deed the whole purport of it, may ferve to 
 confirm the dodtrine above laid down ; and 
 
 • proved by other in (lances ; that God makes 
 ufe of the inftrumentality of evil fpirits, to 
 carry on the defigns of his providence in the 
 government of the world. 
 
 We may obferve here, by the way, that 
 Micaiah was not without a fpice of the cour- 
 tier in him. He, as well as the other pro- 
 phets, at firfl prophefied fmooth things to 
 the monarch. But upon being adjured to 
 fay nothing but the truth, he foon altered 
 his note ; and the true predidion being ex- 
 torted from him, deferved the greater re- 
 gard *. 
 
 AJjaziah, the fon of Ahab, was not cured 
 
 ' of his father's attachment to idolatry ; nor 
 of his confidence in falfe gods. In a dan- 
 
 •* 1 Kings xxii. 22. 1 Chr. xviii. 19. 
 
 gerous 
 
on Scrip fure Demonolog'^. 277 
 gerous hurt which he had by a fall ; inftead 
 of applying to the God of Ifrael for help, 
 or enquiring of his word, by the mouth of 
 his prophet Elijah, he fent to confult Baal- 
 zebub^ the God of Ekron, a city of the 
 Philijl'mes ; for which he was feverely re- 
 proved by the man of God, who like wife 
 denounced his death ; which came to pafs 
 accordingly; together with the divinejudg- 
 ment, inflidled upon two companies of his 
 murderous meflengers by a fire from Heaven ; 
 wliich was at once a demonftration of the 
 inability of the falfe God, in whom he 
 trufled, to reftore him to health ; of the fu- 
 periority of the true God, whom he dif- 
 dained ; and likewife of the triumph of his 
 poor fcrvant, a naked man, over his 
 God's enemies, and his own, to the 
 number of a hundred and fifty, by de- 
 flroying fome, and humbling the reft * ; 
 to the confufion of thofe who confulted falfe 
 pods, and all idolaters. 
 
 o 
 
 The praflice of applying to wizards, and 
 fuch as had flimiliar fpirits, continued in the 
 following reigns ; and is taken notice of, and 
 reproved, l)y the prophets who lived in 
 
 ♦ 2 Kings, i. 2. 
 
 T 7 thefc 
 
278 APPENDIX, 
 
 thefe times. Jfalah, in the reign of ^haz, 
 thus remonftrates againft them : When they, 
 jh all Jay unto you, Jeek unto them t^jat have 
 faviiliar fpirits^ and unto wizards that peepy 
 and that mutter ; Jhould not a people feek unto 
 their God*? 
 
 This is a juH: defcription of tiiefe magi- 
 cians, who never fpake plainly ; but whif- 
 pered and murmured in their incantations. 
 The word tranflared j:>^^/) is not here to be 
 ■underftood in its common acceptation, hi. 
 the original, it is fuppofed to lignify the 
 iitrermg of a (lender, faint voice, like the 
 chi'ping of birds : And that is the fenfe in 
 the tranflation 3 from the latin ^/^/(3, which 
 fignifies the fQ:iall chirping note of young 
 birds. Both the words, peep, and mutter, 
 denote the obfcurity of the heathen oracles, 
 as well in the utterance, as in the fenfe of 
 them. None of them fpake with a natural 
 voice. 
 
 Hence, by the way, we may obferve, 
 that there was a great difference between the 
 note of thefe oracles, when they were con- 
 fulted by their votaries ; and when the de- 
 mons that delivered them were approached 
 
 ^ Ifaiah viii. 19. 
 
 by 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 279 
 
 by our Saviour, and fpake in the poiTeffed, 
 Tliey did not then vvhifper, in a (lender, 
 {lill accent ; but they were forced to cry out 
 with a loud voice ; of which we meet with 
 many infliances in the golpels*. And this 
 I doubt not was meant by way of contrafl:, 
 to convince mankind of the difference be- 
 tween thefe feeble, and fcarce intvHigible 
 Ibunds, which they made of their own ac- 
 cord, whenunconftrained, upon their being 
 confulted ; and thofe vociferations, whicli 
 were extorted from them, when they were 
 compelled to expofe themfelves, and quit 
 their ufurped pofleffions. 
 
 The L,XX underftood thefe mutterers to 
 have been iuch as fpake out of the belly, 
 thence called ventriloquifts, and by them 
 tranflated Eyfixg-pti/,vSiig : And again, in this 
 fame verfe, O; sk. T^g xoiXioig (puvacnv -f-. 
 
 The fame prophet, in detcribing the con- 
 fufion of Egypt, fays, they jh all jeek to the 
 idols^ and to the charmers, and to them that 
 
 ♦ See Mark i. 23. Luke iv. 33. viii. 28. And 
 Acts viii. 7. 
 
 f The Scholiaft on Arl/lophanes gives the following 
 juft definition of ventrlloquifts, 'Otro?, tJj fj/farp jUuSo? At- 
 •ycrai A9ny»;(7i* r'aAnOw, |x«VTSUo[X£yoj J'i'fvi;7ra/ip(;ov']of auTu Ja»- 
 
 T 4 have 
 
28o APPENDIX, 
 
 have familiar fpirits, and to the wizards * 
 This is in charader. We have feen how 
 much the Egyptians were addided to for- 
 eery and magick : And we here fee how 
 clofely thefe arts, and thofe that pradifed 
 them, were conneded with idols and idola- 
 try, being here mentioned together. The 
 LrXX here tranflate, tus ek Trig yvig (pcovovvjocg, 
 .zcct Tovg eyfotg-^tf^vQoug, fpeaking out of the 
 ground, and divining out of the belly. 
 
 Again, Thoufialt be brought down, and 
 Jlialtfpeak out of the ground-,, and thy fpeech 
 Jhallbe low, out of the dufl ; and thy voice fh all 
 he, as one that hath a familiar fpirit, out of 
 the ground ; and thy fpeech fiall ivhfper out 
 of the dufl'. plainly and exprefsly alluding 
 to the low and obfcure muttering of the 
 heathen oracles ; which is here dwelt 
 upon, and repeated no lefs than four times 
 with very little variety of expreliion; in 
 order the more effedlually to expofe them. 
 They who delivered thefa oracles fat over the 
 mouth of a cavern, whence the voice feemed 
 to come. 
 
 Chaldea and Babylon are proverbially noto- 
 rious for their attachment to m.ngick, and 
 
 * Ifaiah xix. 3. 
 
 judicial 
 
on Scripture Detnonolcgy, 1 8 r 
 
 judicial aftrology ; infomuch that ihofe ne- 
 farious arts are fuppofed to have originally 
 iprung from that country. Tlie prophtt 
 doth not fail to denounce God's judgments 
 upon \t, for the mullUude oj its forccrles \ and 
 for the great abundance of its enchantments. 
 Stand now with thine enchantments^ and with 
 the multitude of thy forceries ; wherein thou 
 hafl laboured from thy youth — Let now the 
 ajirologers, the far gazers^ the monthly pr o g- 
 iioficatorsfand up, and fave thee from thofe 
 things that fh all come upon thee *. 
 
 The wicked King Alanajf'es u^td enchant- 
 ments, and ivitchcrajt, and dealt with familiar 
 Jpirits, and wizards. He 'wrought much 
 wickednefs in the fight of the Lord, after the 
 abomination of the heathens, to provoke him to 
 anger y of which thefe were inrtances. 
 
 He was a great idolater, and made his [on 
 pafs through the fire ; hy which learned men 
 utiderftand, that he offered him in facrifice 
 to Molocb, as was the practice of the Ca- 
 naanites, and other heathen nations; and 
 then raked into tlie bowels of the viclnn, to 
 divine, or confult the god by ; which was 
 
 * Ifaiah xlvii. 9, 12, 13. ViJc Fullcri Mifc. Sacra, 
 }ib. i. cap. 16. 
 
 the 
 
282 APPENDIX, 
 
 the moft inhuman and abominable of all ma- 
 gical rites *. 
 
 The good king 'Jojtah found it highly 
 neceflary to make a reformation. He put 
 away the ivorkers with familiar fpirits ; and 
 the ^wizards ; and the images^ and the idols, 
 mid all the other abominations ^ that were fpied 
 in the land ofjudah and Jerufalem ; that he 
 might perform the words of the law -f^ above 
 taken notice cf. He defied Topheth, that 
 no man might make his children pafs through 
 the f.re to Moloch ; and extirpated idolatry 
 in all its branches; with which magical rites 
 were conftantly intermixed. From the 
 large and particular account which we have 
 of his zeal in purging the land of all thefe 
 abominations, it appears how univerfally 
 the corruption had fpread, and prevailed jii 
 the preceding reigns. 
 
 Jeremiahj who lived in the reign ofjofah, 
 condemns the falfe prophets ; and ranks 
 them with forcerers and enchanters. The 
 Lord fciid unto me^ the prophets prophefy lies: 
 in my name — They prophefy unto you a falfe 
 v'fon, and divination'^. Hearken not ye unto 
 
 * 2 Kings xxi. 6. 2 Chron. xxxiii. 6. 
 t 2 Kingsxxiit. 24. % Jer. xiv. 14. 
 
 vour 
 
on Scripture Deinonology. 28? 
 
 your prophets, nor your diviners j nor to your 
 dreamers ; nor to your enchanters ; nor to your 
 forcerers *. And again, Let not your prophets y 
 and your diviners, that be in the midji of you, 
 deceive you ■\» Becaufe they fpake peace to 
 them, when there was no peace ; and flattered 
 them with fecurity and deliverance fromthe 
 JCing of Babylon, which they had not the 
 leall: grounds for. 
 
 In EzekiePs defcrlption of the king of 
 Babylon s approach to Jerufalein, when he 
 came to befiege it, we have an account of 
 the method of divinatio6 by arrows ; a fu- 
 perftitious ufage faid to be ftill obferved by 
 fome idolatrous people in the eaft. The King 
 of Babylonjiood at the farting of the way, at 
 the head of the two ways, to ufe divination. 
 He made his arrows bright : He confultedwith 
 imag-es .* He looked in the liver. At his rizht 
 hand was the divination for Jerufalem, to ap- 
 point captains \ to open the mouth in the 
 jlaughter ; to lift up the voice ivith Jhouting ; 
 to appoint battering rams againfl the gates ; to 
 caji a mount, and to build a fort : And it flmll 
 he unto them as afalfe divination in their fght J. 
 
 * Jer. xxvii. g. f Ch. xxix. 8. 
 
 $ Eztkicl xxi. 21, 22, 23. 
 
 It 
 
2^4 APPENDIX, 
 
 It is obferved above, that the Chaldeans 
 were much adclicled to magick and aftro- 
 logv. In the book of Daniel, the profef- 
 fors of thofe Iciences are called Chaldeans, 
 The King commanded to call the magicians^ 
 and the ajirologers, and the forcer ers, and the 
 Chaldeans ; jor to fiew the King his dream *. 
 And In the context they are feveral times 
 called Chaldeans only; by which this feems 
 to be a general name, incluiive of all the 
 reftf. The King of 5<3^j//(9« conftantly re- 
 tained a number of thefe dealers in infernal 
 rites and myfteries ; and his attention to 
 ihem appears in an inftitution which he 
 eftablifhed for the maintenance and inftruc- 
 tion of fome choice youths of the nobility 
 of ^Wlikewife in this learning, and in the 
 tongue of the Chaldeans ; to whom, by the 
 way, God gave fuch knowledge andjkillin all 
 true learning and zvifdom, thjt the King, upon 
 enquiry, Jound them ten times better , in this 
 refpeft, than all the magicians and ajlrologers 
 that were in all his realm 1^. 
 
 God was pleafed to give Nebuchadnezzar 
 an opportunity of bringing the fkill of the^ 
 
 * Daniel ii. 2: \ Ibid, viii. 5. lO. 
 
 X Daniel i. 4, 17, co. 
 
 pretenders 
 
en Scripture Demofiology, 28 c 
 
 pretenders to w'ljdom^ faljelyjo calkdy to the? 
 tefl ; by certain dreams, which had efcaped 
 his memory ; and which they were required 
 to make known unto h'lm^ together with the 
 interpretation. But this was what neither 
 they, nor indeed any mere mortals, as they 
 oblcrved, could pretend to. But 'Daniel had 
 iinderjianding in all vijions and dreams *. 
 And the God of Heaven, who rcvealeth fc' 
 cretSy revealed this fecret to him -f-. 
 
 It was an antient opinion, That not only- 
 private pcrfons liad their guardian angels; 
 but that empires likewife had their tutelar 
 genii, or deities, prefiding over them, and 
 takuig them under their peculiar protecftioii. 
 This opinion is countenanced by fcripture. 
 We read in this book of the Princes of Perjia 
 ^nd Grecia\ who are by moll: commentators 
 luppofcd to have been evil fpirits ; and who 
 were fuppofed to bear great fvvay over thofe 
 heathen kingdoms ; and to fet them againfl 
 the people of God. In defence of whom, 
 Michael J one of the chief princes, elfewhere 
 called the Arch-angel, is mentioned as in- 
 terpofing In their defence, and Jianding for 
 
 * Daniel i. 17. f Daniel ii. 18, 19, 
 
 ihg 
 
286 APPENDIX, 
 
 ihe children of God's people^. Gabriel, an- 
 other holy aiigel, is mentioned, as the ap- 
 pointed interpreter of DanieT s vifion '^^ 
 We here likewife read of Mahuz%i?n^ the 
 God of forces, a f range God, by which is 
 always meant a falfe one ; who Ihould have 
 much honour paid him j. 
 
 We likewife read in Zechariah of Jofhua\ 
 ihe high priejl^ Jianding before ihe angel of the 
 Lord, and Satan fiandtng at his right hand to 
 reff him: Whofe boldners was fo great; 
 ihdil the Lord fat d unto Satan, The Lord re- 
 buhe thee, Satan §. 
 
 Now in whatever manner this fight was 
 exhibited to the prophet, whether in reality, 
 or perhaps only in vifion ; it neverthelefs is 
 grounded upon the reality of this wdcked 
 fpirit's exiftence ; and is faitable to his ge- 
 neral character. The four fpirits of the 
 heavens, which go forth from Handing be- 
 fore the Lord of all the earth ||, are fup- 
 pofed to be the angels, which prelided over 
 the four great monarchies. 
 
 *Ch.x, 13, 20. xli. I, f Ch.viii. 16. ix. 2. 
 
 X Ch. xi. 38, 39. § Zecb. iii. f, 2. 
 
 II Ch. vi. 5. 
 
 But 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 287 
 
 But what is of fpecial notice, there Is in 
 this book exprefs mention of unclean fpirits ; 
 a term, which occurs no where ehe In the 
 Old Teftament. And it is mentioned by 
 way of prophecy ; and that prophecy was 
 evidently fulfilled by our Saviour, j^nd it 
 JJoall come to pafs in that day, faith the Lord 
 of hojis, that I will cut off' the names of the 
 idols out of the land -j and theyflhill no more be 
 remembered': And alfo, I will caufe the pro^ 
 fhets, and the unclean fpirit to pafs out of the 
 land^. 
 
 This prophecy commences at verfe g, of 
 the foregoing chapter, and all the events 
 foretold in it are pointed out for having their 
 accomplifhment at one and the fame period 
 of time, by an expreffion often repeated in 
 it. In that day, that is, in the gofpel age. 
 Thus particularly — In that day — / zvill pour 
 out upon the houfe of David, and upon the in- 
 habitants of ferufalem, the fpirit of grace and 
 fupplications : Parallel to which is that pro- 
 phecy of Joel, I will pour out my fpirit upon 
 all fief J -f-. This prophecy, we are taught 
 by St. Peter, was fulfilled by the defcent of 
 the Holy Ghoft upon the Apoftles, at the 
 
 * Ch.xiil. 2. iJoc . 28. 
 
 day 
 
2S3 APPENDIX, 
 
 day of Pentecojl^. This event therefore 
 was an accompli(hraent likewife of this its 
 parallel prophecy in Zechariah. I will poiir 
 upon the houle of David, and upon tiie 
 inhabitants oi Jerujalem, the fpirit of grace, 
 and of lupphcations — and they fiall look upon 
 vie^ 'whom they have pierced. This latter 
 prophecy, St. John teaches us, was fuUilled 
 at our Saviour's crucifixion -f*. In that day^ 
 again— In that fame day, there fiall be afoun- 
 tain opened to the fore mentioned houfe of 
 David, and inhabitants of ferufalem, for fin 
 and for undeannefs — for the expiation of fin 
 by the blood of the lamb ; and for the 
 wafliing away of all moral impurities, by 
 the graces of the Holy Spirit ; and by the 
 purity of the gofpel precepts. And it fiall 
 come to pafs in that day likewife, in that 
 age, and none other, faith the Lord of Hofs^ 
 wlioie promife cannot fail, that I will cut off 
 the names of the idols out of the land. I will 
 cffedually dedroy idolatry, and abolifh the 
 very names of the idols ; and their memo- 
 rial (hall perifli with them ; and they floall no 
 more be remembered. This being tiie general 
 
 * A£ls ii. i6, 17. tjohnxix. 37. 
 
 purport 
 
071 Scripture Demo?ioIogy, ^g^ 
 purport of the chridian difpenfation, to de- 
 flroy and eradicate all falfe worfhip, and to 
 eftablifh the behef, worfhip, and fervice of 
 the only true God, in its ftead. And 
 even independently of chriftianity, this pre- 
 di6lion may be literally underftood of the 
 extirpating of idolatry out of the land of 
 Judah ; in which it never once got any 
 footing fince the gofpel age. And alfo, as 
 it is added in reference to the fame day flill, 
 Iwillcaufe the prophets, and the unclean fplrit 
 topafs out of the land. By the prophets being 
 here joined with the unclean fpirit, muft be 
 meant falfe prophets, which abounded fo 
 much before the gofpel age; but which were 
 to befupprefled at its appearance. And the 
 context determines accordingly ; which fays, 
 that when any Jhall yet prophefy, he fhall be 
 reckoned tofpeak lies in the name of the Lord-, 
 and be fentenced to be put to death ; his near- 
 eft kindred being the firft to put the fentence 
 in execution, according to the law of Mofes *. 
 Now as all the preceding parts of this 
 prophecy clearly relate to the gofpel age, 
 and have been fulfilled in it ; it unavoidably 
 follows, that the remaining predidion I 
 
 • Deut. xii. 8, g. 
 
290 APPENDIX, 
 
 will cmtfe the unclean fplrlt to pafs out of the 
 
 land muft have its accomplilhment in it 
 
 likewife, if it be accomplifhed at all. And 
 here we cannot fail to find it fulfilled in the 
 many ope» expulfions o^ uncleanjplrits, often 
 under that very denomination ; as well as 
 often under many others, recorded in the 
 gofpel ; all in confirmation of each other ; 
 infomuch that there is no room to miftake, 
 or evade the truth and reality of the accom- 
 plifliment, in its moil: obvious and literal 
 lenfe *. 
 
 From this view of the paffages relating to 
 demonology, and demoniacal pofieffions, 
 in the prophetical, as well as hiftorical parts 
 of the Old Teftament, we fee there is furely 
 fome foundation for the doctrine of pof- 
 feflions in it ; contrary to what the author 
 of theelTay is pleafed to affert ; and that it 
 received the faoiStion of the prophets of the 
 Old, as well as New Teftament. We have 
 feen fome direct inftances of real poffeflions : 
 many allufions to them ; and many colla- 
 teral proofs from the do61:rines relating to 
 
 * SeeTvvells' anfvver to Sykes' Enquiry about demo- 
 niacksj p. 70. See iikewife Micah x. 12. and Nahum 
 iii. 4. relating to this fubjcd. 
 
 evil 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 291 
 
 evil rphits. The having of familiar fpirits 
 particularly, implies pofleflion, or at lead 
 obfeffion, in the very term ; we have feen 
 likewife frequent mention of magicians, for- 
 cerers, wizards; many, if not all, of whom 
 were poffefled ; or at leaft under the influ- 
 ence of evil fpirits. And though fome of 
 the above paflages do not relate immedi- 
 ately to pofl'effions, yet they relate to fub- 
 je£ls in connexion with them, and from 
 which poflefHons may, by fliir inference, be 
 proved. 
 
 Notwithflanding all this, our author 
 peremptorily declares, That '* with regard 
 to the prophets of the Old Teftament, they 
 ftand clear from all fufpicion of counte- 
 nancing the dodtrine of real pofl'effions. It 
 is not pretended, fays he, that they ever 
 exprefsly taught it. In all their writings, as, 
 he adds, no traces of it are to be found ; no 
 mention of a fingle inftance of reputed pof- 
 feflion ; nor any allufion to it*.'* 
 
 Thefe are bold ailcrtions ; but they are 
 only aflertions. To make them good, all 
 the proofs here produced, or at leaft the 
 greateft part, and moft conhderable of them 
 
 * See Eflay on Demoniacksj p. 17^. 
 
 U 2 ought 
 
292 APPENDIX, 
 
 ought to have beendifproved. But nothing 
 of this hath been attempted. They are all 
 in a manner overlooked : But they are here 
 brought intD view ; and I doubt not will 
 have their weight with the impartial reader. 
 
 To condemn fcripture doctrines thus in 
 the lump — to banifh them out of the fcrip- 
 tures, and to over-rule fcripture itfelf, in fo 
 decretorial a manner, founds more like the 
 language of the council of T'rent^ than that 
 of a proteftant divine. The only cafe in the 
 Old Teftament that he thinks fit to take no- 
 tice of, IS xhdiloi Saul; againft which what 
 is obferved above, I truft, will be a fufficienc 
 antidote. 
 
 I have not yet done with the demonology 
 of the Old Teftament. No where do we 
 find fuch an account of demon ifm, as in the 
 hoo^io^ yob: Where the chief of all wicked 
 fpirits appears in fo open, undifguifed, and 
 daring a manner, even in the prefence of his 
 great Creator: Which is fufficient to convince 
 us, how bold and intrepid, how bufy and 
 reftlefs an enemy of mankind he is — That 
 he is eager to nccufe, and undaunted in his 
 attempts, upon the virtue of the moft per- 
 fect and upright of the fons of men ; and 
 hath various ways of tempting them to 
 
 tranfgrefs 
 
on Scripture Demofwlogy. 293 
 
 tran/grefs their duty — That God fometlmes 
 thinks fit to permit his having great fway in 
 the world for this purpofe — That men are 
 liable to be deprived by him of all their out- 
 ward pofleffions ; and are not fafe from him 
 even in their perfons ; having power to in- 
 flid bodily diieafes upon them ; and to de- 
 prive them of every thing that is neareft, 
 and deareft to them — That his malice is un- 
 fatiable, and knows no bounds — But that 
 notwithftanding, in the exercife of it, he is 
 under certain reftraints and limitations — 
 That he is amenable for his conduct; and 
 under the ftrid: government of the Al- 
 mighty. 
 
 All this we have in the firfl and fecond 
 chapters of the book of Job. The Jews 
 were convinced of thefe truths, if not other- 
 wile, yet from hence, as this book made 
 part of the canon of their fcriptures : And 
 Mdlmonldes exprefsly acknowledges, that 
 Satan was the caufe of all Job's fufferings, 
 both in his fubifance, and body*". And, 
 this book, being conftantly in their hands, 
 helped to facilitate their belief of our Sa- 
 viour's temptations ; to which the trials of 
 
 ♦ Maim. More Nevocli. lib. iii. cap, 22. 
 
 U 3 Job 
 
294 APPENDIX, 
 
 Job bear fo great an analogy, that I think 
 the hiftory of the one cannot be deftroyed, 
 without impairing that of the other hke- 
 wife. The do\Struie however here contain- 
 ed is the fame, in whatever view the book 
 is taken. 
 
 There was a day, on which the Sons of God, 
 the holy angels, as is fuppofed, came to pre- 
 Jent them [elves before the Lord i ro give an 
 account of their miniftry; and to receive 
 his commands. Where we are told, That 
 Satan came alfo among them *. Hence we 
 learn, that the fovereign Lord of the uni- 
 verfe hath his minifters, whom he employs 
 in the government of it — That he calls 
 them to an account of their adminiflrations, 
 in their refpeclive offices and departments — 
 That he hath ftated times and feafons, on 
 which he convenes them for this purpofe — 
 That he not only " ordains and conflitutes 
 the fervices of his holy angels, as well as 
 men, in a wonderful order," but that he 
 makes ufe of the fallen angels likewife, in 
 executing his will ; and that the Devil him- 
 felf is accountable to him for his conduil, 
 and fubje6l to his controul. But notwith- 
 
 * Job ii. 2» 
 
 flandlng 
 
on Scripture DemonologV' 20 c 
 {landing the confummate impudence of this 
 moH: daring of all created beings, it feenis 
 moft probable, that he did not intrude of 
 himfelfinto the divine prefence ; but that 
 he was convened to appear among the reft 
 of the miniftring fpirits, to give an account 
 of his actions and behaviour ; in fome 
 manner analogous to the appearances of us 
 mortals, before the tribunals of our fupe- 
 riors here on earth, allowing for the differ- 
 ence arifuig from the different natures of 
 fpiritual and corporeal creatures, and between 
 heavenly and earthly tribunals. 
 
 Immediately upon Sata?is appearance 
 before the Lord, God demanded of him, 
 whence he came. To which he was oblig- 
 ed to own, he came from traverfing the 
 earth, for the fake of making his obferva- 
 tions on mankind, in order to find out fucli 
 of them as were fit to be made a prey of. 
 
 Upon this, the Lord a(ks him, as he 
 was fo narrow an mfpedor into the manners 
 of men, whether he had conhdered his ler- 
 vant Job ; whofe moral and religious cha- 
 racter was fuch, as he knew to be irreproach- 
 able ; and he feemed to glory in it, as 
 being proof againftthe aliaults of his enemy. 
 U 4 The 
 
296 APPENDIX, 
 
 The fubtle adverfary infinuated, that the 
 virtue of this boafted faint was mercenary, 
 and his piety all precarious and hypocritical ; 
 founded on his fecuriry and affluence : For 
 if God would but permit him to be deprived 
 of his great wealth, he fhould foon fee how 
 impious a wretch he would prove. 
 
 God, willing to try the virtue of his fer- 
 vant by adverfity, as well as profperity, left 
 all his fubftance at the will of this unmer- 
 ciful enemy ; who inflantly brought one 
 calamity fo quick after another upon him, 
 that in one day he found himfelf ftript of 
 all his fubftance of every kind : And to 
 crown all, he was deprived by him of a 
 numerous family of children grown up, and 
 happily fettled in the world. 
 
 He firft brought the Sabeans^ or wild 
 Arabs, known to have always been a thievi{h 
 people, to drive away his oxen and alTes, 
 and to murder his fervants. No fooner had 
 yob been informed of this lofs ; but in comes 
 another account of his fneep and fhepherds 
 having been blafted, and deftroyed by 
 lightning ; caufed likewife hy Satan, having 
 it feems been licenfed to bear rule over the 
 elements, for this purpofe. He then raifed 
 the Chaldea?is to fall upon the camels for 
 plunder J and to carry them away, killing 
 
 his 
 
on Script urn Demonology, 297 
 
 his fcrvants likewife. And to complete his 
 calamity, this prince of the power of the 
 airraifed a great florm, or whirlwind ; and 
 directed it againft the four corners of the 
 houfe, in which all Job's children were af- 
 fembled, and fecurely feafling together ; 
 levelled it with the ground, and buried them 
 all in the ruins. 
 
 All thefe heavy fhocks, coming fo thick, 
 one upon the heels of the other, did not 
 (hake the firmnefs of this good man's vir- 
 tue ; but produced in him the moft perfect 
 refignation. In all this yob linned not, nor 
 charged God foolifhly. 
 
 Thefe fevere trials, thus manfully gone 
 through, only ferved to enrage the mali- 
 cious adverfary the more ; and having ob- 
 tained power over theperfon of this upright 
 man, after he had ruined him in his fortune 
 and family, he purfued his unprovoked 
 and unremitted rage againft him, by in- 
 fliding a moft loath fo me difeafe upon him; 
 and Imiting him with fore boils, from the 
 fole of his foot, unto his crown. And to 
 add to the plague, he excited another 
 tempter, the wife of his bofom, to urge 
 him to (urfe God, and die. But in all this, 
 did not Job fm with his lips. 
 
 If 
 
298 APPENDIX, 
 
 If a man of fo perfecSt a character was 
 thus obnoxious to the alTaults of Satan, and 
 to be vexed bj him with all his florms ; 
 what have others to apprehend from this 
 their fpiritual enemy ; who are not fo well 
 entitled to the divine protection ? God be 
 praifed that his power is limited, and hath 
 its bounds that it cannot pafs. 
 
 It doth not become us to fpeculatc about 
 this dialogue between God and the Devil. 
 We are to take the fadls as they are repre- 
 fented to us, in the word of God ; which in 
 this palfage gives us the greateft infight into 
 the nature and character of this accurfed 
 fpirit ; beyond what we have eifewhere, in 
 the whole compafs of the Old Teftament. 
 
 To this deduction of the hiftory of de- 
 monology throughout the books of the Old 
 Teftament, it may not be amifs to fubjoin 
 what occurs in the book of Tohity relating 
 to this fubjed ; as this will fliew the fenfe 
 of the Ifraelitijh church in his time 5 which 
 was that of the AJjyrlan captivity of the ten 
 tribes, when he was carried captive among 
 them. 
 
 In this book we read of AJmodeus, the 
 evil fpirit, who had killed feven men fuc- 
 ceffively, betrothed unto one woman, be- 
 fore 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 299 
 
 fore the confummatlon of their marriage 
 with her * — And of Raphael, one of t he /even 
 holy angels^ which frefent the prayers of the 
 faints, and which go in and out, hejore the 
 glory of the Holy One -f*. He was fent to 
 bind Afmodeus, the evil fpirit, and to chafe 
 him away, by a preparation of the heart 
 andhverofa fiih];. And the evil fpirit 
 accordingly fled unto the utmoft parts of 
 Egypt ; and the angel bound him §. 
 
 This book is apocryphal, and every one 
 is at liberty to believe as he pleaies concern- 
 ing this account of Raphael and Afmodeus, 
 The driving of the evil fpirit away with the 
 fmoke of the burnt heart and liver of afifh 
 looks like a charm : But the do6lrine, on 
 account of which the ftory is mentioned, 
 is agreeable to that of the Jewijh church, 
 in the preceding ages. 
 
 This book contains the memoirs o^'Tobit 
 and his family, and is generally looked 
 upon, by both Jews and Chriflians, as ge- 
 nuine hiftory : And as fuch it contains an 
 early account of obfeflions and mifchiefs 
 done by evil fpirits. Nor is this particular 
 
 * Tobit iii. 8. t Ch. xii. 15. 
 
 + Ch. vi. 7. 16. 17. § Ch. viii. 3. 
 
 relation 
 
300 APPENDIX, 
 
 relation fo incredible, if it be confidered, 
 that the moft unlikely means have had virtue 
 given them for particular purpofes, which 
 they vi^ere appointed for. 
 
 The waters of yor^^an were impregnated 
 with an efficacy for the cure of a leprofy, 
 preferably to all others, in a particular cafe; 
 though not, that we know of, for the cure 
 ofleprofies in general. And our Saviour's 
 ufe of clay for the cure of blindnefs, was as 
 unfuitable in itfelf, as the gall of the fifh was 
 for the cure of TobWs eyes. And why 
 might not other parts of the fame fifli have 
 been impregnated with virtue, for frighten- 
 ing away the evil Ipirit ? PWj handker- 
 chief had no virtue in itfelf for any falutary 
 purpofe ; though it anfwered many *. 
 Certain rites were made ufe of in exorcifms, 
 together with the invocation of the God of 
 Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob : And the uie 
 of mere charms and incantations by impof- 
 tors arofe from fome forms and rites, which 
 had been found effedtual. 
 
 The pra6lice of exorcifing devils, by the 
 name of the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and 
 Jacob, was in ufe among the Jews long 
 
 * Acts xix. 12. 
 
 before 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 301 
 
 before our Saviour's time. Jofephus informa 
 us, it was as antient as Solomon, who, he 
 fays, " improved that wifdom and know- 
 ledge which God had given him, for the 
 benefit of men, and to the confufion of the 
 devils — having left behind him forms of 
 exorcifing in writing, fo effedual againfl: 
 evil fpirits, that they fled before them, never 
 daring to return : Which way of remedy, 
 fays he, prevails much among our people to 
 this day." And he fubjoins, his having 
 been an eye-witnefs himfelf of one Eleazer, 
 a countryman of his, difpoli'e fling people m 
 the prefence of the emperor Vejpajian *. 
 
 As for the manner of performing thefe 
 difpofleffions, and the charms which were 
 ufed for the purpcfe, they are certainly ri- 
 diculous enough ; and were probably the 
 inventions of fome late exorcifls, or impof- 
 tors, wherewith the pradice was debafed ; 
 and of whofe juggling tricks they favour 
 more than of the wifdom of Solomon ; and 
 perhaps were fuggefted by evil fpirits, to ex- 
 pofe and defeat the real efficacy of the exor- 
 cifms. That the pra£liee itfelf was fome- 
 times attended with fuccefs, is attefted by 
 
 • Jof, Antiq, lib, viii. cap. 2. 
 
 our 
 
302 APPENDIX, 
 
 our Saviour himfelf. By whom do your fons 
 cafi them out * ^ This paflage from Jofephus 
 (hews, that the notion of pofleflions and 
 difpolTefiions had long prevailed among the 
 yews, before his time ; and adds no fmall 
 confirmation to the truth and reality of thofe 
 recorded in the gofpels. 
 
 Having deduced the hidory of demonifm 
 through the books of the Old Teftament, 
 and fuch evidences of it as are to be had 
 among the Jews, previous and fubfequent 
 to the gofpel age ; it will be unneceffary to 
 carry this dedu6:ion through the evangelical 
 writings; as we have already feen at large, 
 In the former part of this work, what is de- 
 livered there, relating to demons and evil 
 fpirits. But to complete this hiftory, it will 
 be requifite jufl to point out fuch pafl'ages in' 
 the other books of the New Teftament, as do 
 more efpecially relate to it. To which I fhall 
 prefix only one paffage out of the gofpels, 
 before taken notice of ; to conned the fenfe 
 of the Jews, both before, and after Chrift, 
 concerning poffeffions, by {hewing what it 
 was in his time. Say we not well, that thou 
 
 * Luke xi. 19, 
 
 firt 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 002 
 
 art a Saf?iariian^ a7id hcjl a devil*} Now 
 though the Jews were ready enough to ca- 
 lumniate the Samaritans upon all occafions ; 
 yet they could not have had any handle for 
 iZ in this refpect, had not the Samaritans 
 been infamous at that time, for being under 
 the influence of evil fpirits. 
 
 We have ieen inftances of pofleffions in 
 the A^s of the Apodles. Here too we read 
 of Slmo?i Magus, bewitching people with his 
 forceries -f- ; concerning whofe nefarious 
 practices, and impious opinions we meet 
 with a good deal in the firft writers of the 
 church. In this book we read of Klymas, 
 a noted forcerer likewife \. In the epiftles, 
 we hnd frequent mention of the devil, and 
 his works — of the fallen angels — of the 
 Gentiles worfhiping, and facrificing to 
 devils — offome in the latter times giving 
 heed to feducing fpirits, and doctrines of 
 devils — of principalities and powers— of the 
 rulers of the darknefs of this world — of 
 the prince of the power of the air, as the 
 devil is called — and of fpi ritual wickednelTes 
 in high places. We read of wicked perfons 
 
 * John viii. 48. f Aas-viii, 9. 
 
 + Aas xUi. 8. 
 
 being 
 
304 APPENDIX, 
 
 being delivered unto aS^/^7«, for the deftruc- 
 tion of the flefli — And of St. Paul, th« 
 apoftle of Chrift; who, notivithftanding 
 the abundance of the Revelations vouchfafed 
 him, and the great progrefs he had made 
 towards perfeftion, yet was not exempt 
 from his fnares and devices ; there being 
 given him a thorn in the Jlefiy the mejfengerof 
 Satan to buffet him *. We have already had 
 occafion to obferve many things that occur 
 both in the Epijiles and Revelation, con- 
 cerning this worfl of Beings; which there- 
 fore are paflbd over, or but juft touched 
 upon here— That he goetb about like a roar- 
 ing lion, feeking whom he may devour — ^That 
 the man of (in fhould be revealed — whofc 
 coming Jhould be after the working of Satan^ 
 with all power, andjigns, and lying wonders i 
 and with all deceive ablenefs oj unrighteoufnefs t* 
 We are fo much warned and cautioned 
 againft him in the word of God, that ite are 
 not ignorant of his devices \. We have al- 
 ready had oecalion to obferve, that the devil 
 is more than once mentioned in the Revela* 
 iiony by his names, Satan, 'The oldferfent, 
 
 ♦ 2 Cor. xii. 7. fa Tbef. ii, 8, 9, 10. 
 
 X 2 Cor. ii., ii« 
 
on Scripture Demonology, ^o^ 
 
 and The great dragon ; wljich deceiveih the 
 whole world. He is there alfo called. The 
 king of the locujis ; which had tails like fcor- 
 pious ^ with flings in them ; wherewith 
 they had power to do great hurt: And he 
 is faid to be the angel of the bottomlefs pit, 
 whofe name is Abaddon^ and jipolluon *. 
 The dragon is faid to be worfhiped f- And 
 tlie devils in general are mentioned, as 
 having worfliip paid them J. The dragon 
 and his angels, fought with Michael and his 
 angels ; but was vanquifhed, and caft out 
 into the earth, and his angels with him ; 
 where he perfecuted the woman, which 
 brought forth the man child ; whom he en- 
 deavoured to devour as foon as he was 
 born §. From hence we learn, that he was 
 the author of the ten general perfecutions ||. 
 See thefe matters particularly explained, in 
 fix difcourfes on fele6l parts of the Revela- 
 tion, preached, among others, at Boyle's 
 lectures **. Laftly, we are here informed, 
 that the devil wa^;, or is, to be bound for a 
 thoufand years ; after the expiration of 
 which, he is to be loofed out of his prifon, 
 
 ^ Prov. ix. II. f Rev. xiii. 4. 
 
 X Ch. ix. 20. § Ch. xii. 
 
 ' |( Ch. XX. *='- By Dr. Worthington 
 
 X for 
 
3o6 APPENDIX, 
 
 for a little feafon ; and fuffered to go out to 
 deceive the nations ; which are in the four 
 corners of the earth. But that he is at 
 length to be caft into the lake of fire and 
 brimflone, there to be tormented, with the 
 beaft, and falfe prophet, day and night, 
 for ever and ever *. 
 
 Upon a retrofpe£l of the whole, we find, 
 that there is a Being, known by the name of 
 the Devil, who is the author of all moral 
 evil ; whence all natural evils likewife ori* 
 ginate : And who therefore is juftly to be 
 reckoned the evil principle. He introduced 
 evil firft into the world ; and ever fince hatli 
 been the great fupport, promoter, and fo* 
 menter of it — That he hath a numerous and 
 formidable band of other apoftate fpirits, 
 called his angels; who, together with him, 
 fell from their firft eftate, and are united in 
 confederacy with him ; working together in 
 feducing and withdrawing mankind from 
 their duty to, and dependance upon God ; 
 inftigating to, and promoting all manner of 
 fin and wickednels in the world j darken- 
 ing and perverting the reafon and under- 
 ilandingof men ; corrupting their wills and^ 
 
 * Ch. XX. 
 
 affedions. 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 307 
 
 afFeclions, and deflroying their fouls — That 
 God, who brings good out of evil, makes 
 ufe of the Devil, and his angels, in the go» 
 vernment of the world — That, for this end, 
 he thinks fit fometimes to give him great 
 power over the elements of air and fire, and 
 other parts of nature ; over the brute crea- 
 tion ; and likevvife over the perfons of men ; 
 fo far as to permit him to takepofleffion of, 
 and a6l in, their bodies — But that his power 
 is under controul; and fubje6l to certain laws 
 of reftraint, which he dares not tranfgrefs, 
 nor can refifl — That the confummate ma- 
 Jignancy of this inveterate enemy of man- 
 kind is ever prompting him to do all the 
 inilchief, of all kinds, that he can, in the 
 world ; but that he is checked, and over- 
 ruled, by the fupreme pov^er of his, and 
 our Almighty Creator; who protetfls his 
 poor creatures ; and fuffers them not to be 
 tempted by him, any farther than they are 
 able to bear — That the good are tempted, 
 and harraflPed by him ; but that wicked men 
 are too often led away captive by him at his 
 will — That he is employed for judgment; 
 for correcSlion ; and even for mercy in the 
 end — for the gradual reformation of a cor- 
 rupt and wicked world; as we have reafon 
 X 2 to 
 
3o8 APPENDIX, 
 
 to hope ; and that the evil, which, by his 
 inftrumeiitality, is permitted to reign, and 
 prevail in the world, will at length termi- 
 nate in the univerfal good. 
 
 It hath been confidently aflerted by unbe- 
 lievers, as an inconteftible fa£l:, that poflef- 
 lions were a kind of ntw phenomena , that had 
 not appeared, or but rarely, before the 
 gofpel age ; and that only among the people 
 of the Jews; And this the friends of revela- 
 tion have been called upon to account for ; 
 which fome of them taking the fadl for 
 granted, have endeavoured to do. But from 
 the above view we have feen, that this was 
 no new thing ; but that there were always 
 inftances of what might be reckoned pof- 
 feffionsj or of cafes, from which poflef- 
 iions might be inferred, more or lefs, in 
 the preceding ages, all over the world ; 
 even from the infancy of it. The Devil's 
 entrance into the body of the ferpent to 
 tempt KvCy was an early proof of the pof- 
 fibility of the thing, with regard to man- 
 kind. 
 
 That we know fo little of pofTeffions in 
 the fucceeding ages, is no more than what 
 happens in common with our ignorance of 
 other things ; from the want of the hiflory 
 
 both 
 
on Scripture Demonohgy, 309 
 
 both of nature and religion, in thofe times. 
 We have no kind of hillory of the firfl ages 
 of the world ; but what we have in the 
 bible ; and that is very (hort. The rulers of 
 darknefs undoubtedly had great fway in 
 thofe times of ignorance ; which it was 
 their policy to keep men in ; and then the 
 kingdom of darknefs was at its greateft 
 height, and fpread moft univerfally. 
 
 As the Devil, and his angels, were fo 
 bufy among the people of God, we can 
 conclude no lefs, than that they were much 
 more fo, among all the other nations of the 
 world ; uho did not bear fo near a relation 
 to him ; and whom he had not taken fo 
 immediately under his protedion. How 
 the Egyptians, for inftance, dealt in in- 
 chantments, magick, and forcery— what 
 proficients they were in thefe diabolical arts ; 
 and of courfe, how much they were under 
 the power and influence of the author of 
 them; we may judge from what we have 
 feen above. 
 
 From the king oi IfraePs fending to con- 
 fult Baal'Zebub, the god of Ekron *, it ap- 
 pears, that this was a famous heathen 
 
 * 2 Kings i, 2. 
 
 4.-^ X 3 oracle. 
 
310 APPENDIX, 
 
 oracle. And Banl-%ebub, we are informed 
 in the goipel, was the Devil. All the 
 heathen oracles, which ail idolatrous na- 
 tions abounded with, before the gofpel age, 
 •were dictated by him, through his priefts, 
 or more commonly his prieftefles ; which 
 were poffefled by him for that purpofe. 
 
 Celfus recounts a good number of them, 
 the Pythian ; the Dodonean ; the Clarian ; 
 the Branchld'ian ; the Ammonlan ; and other 
 oracles, fays he. Innumerable *. 
 
 Magick, and forcery, were pra6lifed 
 without referve; and made part of the re- 
 ligion of all idolatrous nations : And it was 
 vpon the credit of thefe arts, that it was 
 fupported. And from hence, and from the 
 teftimony of many heathen writers, it ap- 
 pears, that pofi'effions mull: have abounded 
 more before the time of Chrift, than is ge- 
 nerally imagined. 
 
 The author of the Eflav on Demoniacks 
 hath furnifhed us with many authorities to 
 this purpofe. " Demonology, he obferves, 
 compofed a very eminent part of the Pytha- 
 gorean and Plaionick philofophy :" And 
 this, with pofTeffions, and magick, fays he, 
 
 * Driven contra Celfum, lib. vii. init. 
 
 fcei)^ 
 
on Scripture Demonology, o 1 1 
 feem to have compofed the common creed 
 of all men, except the followers of Z)£'wo- 
 critus, " And he further juftly obferves, 
 that theedablifhed theology of the heathen 
 world, from its firft rife, to its final over- 
 throw, refted upon the bads of demonifm. 
 And, as he adds, fcarce was there a fuigle 
 oracle delivered, but by a perfon faid to be 
 poflbllbd*." 
 
 " It appears, fiys he el fe where, from 
 the earlieft writers, that demonlacks were 
 thought to have demons with'm them In 
 perfon.'' For which he produces authori- 
 ties from antient poets, hiftorians, and phi- 
 lofophers ; " which, with a thoufand 
 others, fiiys he, ferve to fliew, that the ge- 
 neral idea, which the antients entertained 
 of demoniacks, was, that of perfons, whofe 
 fymptoms wereafcribed to the real prefence, 
 and rejidence of demo?is in the human 
 bodyf". And thofe few, who were of a 
 different opinion, nay even thofe who 
 wrote againfl this perfuafion, bear tefli- 
 mony by their very writings, to the ge- 
 neral notion of the reality of thofe poUef- 
 
 * EflTayon Demonology, P» 135, 6, 7. 
 f P. 71, note, 
 
 X 4 fions J 
 
3:2 APPENDIX, 
 
 lions : And how that notion could obtain, 
 and fo much prevail, I cannot account for 
 otherwife, than from its having been found- 
 ed in truth. 
 
 To the inftances which he hath given, the 
 following may be added. Homer imputes 
 a painful and walleful diflemper, under 
 which a man had long languiflTed, to a 
 hateful demon *. Aretaus relates, that fome 
 believed the epilepfy was called a facred 
 difeafe, from the fuppofition, that fome 
 demoji had taken poffeifion of the man that 
 was feized with it "f*. 
 
 It appears from Firgil's defcrlption of the 
 Si&yl, that (lie laboured under all the fvm- 
 ptoms of poUeflion J. Euripides exprefles 
 himfelf in fuch a manner, as if he fuppofed 
 a number of demons might enter a man at 
 one, and the fame time §. The fame notion 
 occurs in Plautus. Hence Amphitruo fays 
 
 Ev V8(rw KEilai -upccjip* oOStcc z:x<Tyjxiv. 
 
 Lv^poy TTixojxnfo;, s-jf^oof Je ol iX^me oajixwu. Odyf. v. 396. 
 J Aai[xoK/; ^o!c,yii i; tov avQpwTrov ucto^h, 
 J At Phcebi nondum patiens, immanis in antro 
 Bacchaturvatcs, magnum fi pedore poflit 
 
 Ixcuflifle Deum ^neis vi, 77. 
 
 § Otjii' yap c Q^ci; £jj to (TWjx' sxOn ■sroKv;. 
 
 Eurip. Bacch. v. 300. 
 
 of 
 
on Scripture Demomlogy, 31^ 
 
 of Alcmena^ that fhe was larvarum plena^^ 
 full of thofe rriifchievous fplrits, the Larvae \ 
 who were fuppofed to caiife madnefs, and 
 to inflidt other diforders upon manknid *. 
 Agreeably hereto, Porphyry acknowledges, 
 as obferved above, that both the houfcs, and 
 bodies of fome men were full of demons -f*. 
 
 Thefe inftances, with the foregoing ob- 
 fervations, are fufficient to convince us, that 
 the antient heathens, in ages preceding the 
 gofpel, had imbibed the notion of poffef- 
 fions ; and that it was grown familiar among 
 them. 
 
 But this is not all. They had a notion, 
 not only of fingle poffeffions : But we fee 
 they were impreiVed with the perfuafion of 
 complicated ones likewife — of many demons 
 pofl'effing a man, in conjunction with each 
 other. But the poffibility of this, or of any 
 fuch thing, could never have entered their 
 thoughts, had they not {een fome very 
 ftrong and violent pofleflions, attended with 
 a variety ot ftrange fymptoms, to convince 
 them of the reality of it. Thefe are intro- 
 duced as matters of ordinary occurrence. 
 
 * Plaut. Amphitruo, Ad ii. fccne 2. 
 t See page 57, 
 
 There 
 
314 APPENDIX, 
 
 There could be nothing new therefore, or 
 flrange In them, at the time of the gofpel. 
 Accordingly we do not find that thefe com- 
 plicated cafes, any more than others, pro- 
 duced any wonder, or doubt among thofe 
 who were prefent, when they appeared 
 before Chrift j or that the reality of them 
 was ever queftioned, or caviled at by his 
 enemies. Much lefs reafon therefore, or 
 colour have any at this time, for treating 
 "them with all that fcorn and ridicule, which 
 hath been caft upon them *. 
 
 To proceed, as the worfliip of all na- 
 tions, one only excepted, before the coming 
 of Chrift, was Idolatrous ; and poffeffions 
 were incorporated with it ; this gained 
 them a general eftablifhment ; and every 
 heathen oracle was, of courfe, delivered by 
 a fettled and continued fucceffion of pol^ 
 feffed perfons. Many heathen authors 
 mention the exiftence of demoniacks among 
 them, exclufively of any relation they had 
 to their oracles, of which we have feen fome 
 inftances. And hence the frequency of 
 them among the heathens is fufficiently 
 evinced; and likewife their having got to a 
 
 * See EfTay on Demoniacks^ p. 4, note from Roujpau, 
 
 greater 
 
on Scripture Demonohgy, 3 1 5 
 
 greater head in all heathen nations, than 
 they could have had among the Jews ; as 
 their religion did not admit of any of the 
 like oracles. But neither were they with- 
 out an oracle to confult, on publick and 
 emergent occalions ; the appointment of 
 which was moft probably intended to coun- 
 terad thofe heathen ones * : I mean the 
 ' oracle of Urim and Thummlm ; which the 
 high priefl: was to carry in his breaft-plate. 
 Thefe names fignified light and perfeStion, 
 and denoted the clearnefs and perfedion, 
 which thefe oracular anfwers always car- 
 ried ; which were not like the heathen 
 oracles, obfcure, enigmatical and ambi- 
 guous ; but always clear and manifefl: ; 
 never falling fhort of perfedlion, either of 
 fulnefs in the anfwer, or certainty in the 
 truth of them -f-. 
 
 The antient heathen nations, who knew 
 not God ; and did not like to retain him in 
 their knowledge, when revealed to them, 
 eafilyy^// into the fnare of the Devil ; and 
 were taken captive by him at his wilU This 
 
 * Vide Spencer de leg. Hcbrzeorum, lib. iii. diflcrt. 
 \ii. cap. i. p. 854. 
 
 f Prid. Conn, parti, book iii. 
 
 Dllght 
 
3i6 APPENDIX, 
 
 might juftly be called his hour, and the 
 power of darknejs. He had had a long 
 reign, and continued in undifturbed poiTef- 
 fion of his kingdom ; and it undoubtedly 
 was his policy to maintain hispoffeffion, with 
 as little interruption, and as quietly, aspoffi- 
 ble. He did not then perhaps plague men fo 
 much ; but ufed arts of foothing them under 
 his bondage. It was not thebuiinefs of this, 
 fubtle adverfary to vaunt of his power, and 
 blaze it abroad ; but to keep it as covectjy 
 as he could ; and to infinuate himfelf, by, 
 flealth into the bodies of men ; and to lurk 
 within them, as unobferved as might be ; 
 whereby his reign became the more abfo- 
 lute and univerfal ; the lefs fufpedled, and 
 therefore the lefs withftood. 
 
 Hence pofl'effions were not fo much 
 known, or taken notice of: The very com- 
 monnefs of them made them to be the lefs 
 regarded ; and the lefs recorded in hiftory. 
 And as far as they were known, and ob- 
 ferved to prevail, the poor wretches, who 
 fufFej^ed l3y l^hem, had in general no remedy ; 
 and therefore found it in vain to complain ; 
 but were obliged to languifh under their 
 mifery, and bear it as well as they could. ■?. 
 This is the moft favourable vievir,*iii 
 '• V- which 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 317 
 
 which the demon lacks of thofe times can 
 be taken. But this was far from being 
 always the cafe. 
 
 We have feen fome heathen teftimonies 
 of pofleffions, in which the poor patients 
 fuffered terribly: And we meet with de* 
 fcriptions of their cafes ; which are very 
 iimilar to thofe of the gofpel. 
 
 Porphyry relates, *' that fome fouls had 
 demons at all times adhering to them, by 
 w4iich they were fo overcome, as to be un- 
 mercifully racked and tortured by them *,'* 
 And particularly we are informed upon the 
 authority of PlatOy and a heathen poet, 
 that fuch as were poflefled by a fpirit of di- 
 vination, and delivered oracles, bought that 
 privlledge very dearly. For that they were 
 dlftraded, and raved like madmen ; not 
 knowing themfelves what they faid; and 
 that they were toffed and torn to that de- 
 gree, as not to be able to bear the fury of the 
 demon-, and were obliged to beg a releafe 
 from him in a prefcribed form of words -f-. 
 
 But however poor mortals, who were 
 under the dominion of evil fpirits, were 
 
 * Eufeb. praep. evang. lib. I v. cap. 22. 
 •\ Cluyfoft. op. torn iii. orat. 29 in 1 Cgr. 
 
 dealt 
 
3i8 APPENDIX, 
 
 dealt with by them, when the Son of right e*- 
 oufnefs arofe with healing in his wings ^ he 
 brought thefe hidden works of darknefs to 
 light, and detected the workers of them. 
 
 No fooner was his power over evil fpiritff 
 known, than there was a general refort to 
 him from all quarters. His fame wasimme* 
 Jiately fpread abroad throughout all the region 
 round about Galilee, And they brought unto 
 him all that were pojfejj'ed with devils ; and he 
 cqft them out *. The Devil was alarmed, 
 •when he fawour Saviour's defign of deftroy- 
 ing his kingdom, his power, and influence 
 over mankind. This made him redouble 
 his diligence, in arming himfelf againft 
 him ; exerting all his might, and collect- 
 ing all his forces to withftand him. He 
 now faw all tvas at ftake ; and therefore 
 muftered up his whole train of apoftate 
 angels ; as far as he was permitted by the 
 pver-ruling power of his Almighty Creator, 
 in defence of his kingdom of darknefs ; 
 which he perceived was in imminent danger 
 of being overthrown, by the great captain of 
 our falvation. He ftrained all his powers. 
 He fummoned his forces together, in fuch 
 
 * Mark i. 28. 32. 
 
 numbers. 
 
on Scripture Demonotogy^ ^lo 
 
 numbers, and arranged them in fuch clofe 
 order ; that he contrived to croud a whole 
 legion into the body of one man ; in order 
 to difpute the pofl'effion of this fingle perfon ; 
 being determined not to yield an inch of 
 ground, that he could poflibjy keep. 
 
 When he found himfeif overpowered, 
 his rage broke out into public expoftula- 
 tions — made him cry out aloud ; and re- 
 venge himfeif in a moft cruel manner^ 
 before whole multitudes, upon the poor 
 demoniacks. 
 
 All this greatly increafed the notoriety of 
 poffeflions ; from the commencement of 
 Chrift's miniftry, beyond what had, or 
 could have been, ever obferved before; as 
 there never had been fuch an emergency, for 
 making them fo confpicuous and obferve* 
 able. To this we may add, that the oreat 
 number of perfons, who accompanied our 
 Saviour, and the multitudes that everywhere 
 crouded about him, when he performed 
 thefe miracles upon the demoniacks, were 
 all witnefles of them, and fpread their fame 
 far and wide. 
 
 From the whole therefore, I think we 
 may venture to infer, that Mr. Mede, and 
 ot^hers, believers and uubehevers, leem to 
 
 have 
 
320 APPENDIX, 
 
 have been too hafly in fuppofing the rare- 
 nefs of demoniacal pofleliions, before the 
 times of the gofpel ; and that in thofe 
 times, they abounded more in Judea, than 
 in other countries j the contrary to which 
 fuppofitions, we may, from the foregoing 
 obfervations and inftances, be induced to 
 think was the real truth of the cafe. 
 
 The Devil's wrath is much provoked, 
 and makes the effecfbs of his malice and 
 vengeance to be more felt, when he appre- 
 hends himfdlf in danger. We find a caution 
 to this purpofe, on an occafion fubfequent 
 to thefe times. JVo to the inhabitants of the 
 earth, and of the fea ! For the Devil is come 
 down unto you, having great wrath ; be- 
 caufe he knoweth that he hath but a jhort 
 time*. And he undoubtedly fell upon the 
 inhabitants of the world with great wrath 
 likewife j when the feed of the woman, 
 ^hich was to bruife his head, appeared in 
 the flelh ; and confequently vented it more, 
 as he perceived his reign was endangered,^ 
 and the diilblution of his kingdom threat- 
 ened. 
 
 If therefore there were more poffeffions 
 in chat age, than in the preceding ones ^ 
 
 ■* Rev. xii. i2, 
 
 and 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 321 
 
 and more of them obferved in the Jcwijh 
 nation, than elfewhere, at that tune ; this 
 llifficiently accounts for it : As the com- 
 parative filence of hiftory concerning pof- 
 feflions ; whether they were more, or lefs, 
 in former times, and among other people, 
 is accounted for from the foregoing con- 
 fiderations. 
 
 From the many accounts of demoniacks 
 which we have in the gofpels, we may 
 collefl, there were many kinds of devils, or 
 demons, who pofieffed them — that there 
 were different r^nks, and orders of thole 
 wicked fpirits ; a diftindlion of qualities be- 
 tween them ; and degrees of malignity and 
 wickednefs even among the devils them- 
 felves. 
 
 A difference of rank and order between 
 them may poflibly have been obferved, in 
 the ufe of the different names of Aui^uv and 
 Aaii^oviov. And the latter being the dimi- 
 nutive of the former, may be defigned to 
 fignify an evil fpirit of an inferior rank. 
 All the three evangelifls, who record the 
 cafe of the man, who had a legion of devils, 
 make ufe of the word Auif/,uv. St. Luke 
 ufes Aaii^oviov like wife. And it is this latter 
 Y term 
 
322 APPENDIX, 
 
 term which Is ufed in all other polTeffions, 
 excepthig that ci Judas ; in which the terms 
 mtide ufe of are, raramg- and Atoc^o'kog, 
 That there were degrees of wickednefs and 
 rnalipnity among them, we may infer from 
 what is faid of an evil fpirit caft out of a 
 man, and returning with feven other fpirits 
 more wicked ih-^Vi himfelf. 
 
 When we read. This kind goeth not out 
 hut by prayer and fajiing, we learn, not 
 only, that there are feveral kinds of wicked 
 fpirits; but that there are fome particularly 
 obftinate, and more difficult to be expelled, 
 than others. There were deaf and dumb 
 fpirits. Thefe not only caufed deafnefs and 
 dumbnefs in thofe they poffeffed : But as 
 they are often denominated deaf and dumb 
 themfelves ; this indicates their having 
 fome qualities analogous to thofe diforders. 
 They might be particularly fuUen, produc- 
 ing the like temper in the demoniacks. 
 And they might be ftruck dumb at the pre- 
 fence of our Saviour, to pre-fignify the ap- 
 proaching dumbnefs of all the heathen 
 oracles ; which were foon to be every- 
 where (ilenced, at the preaching of the 
 gofpel. They certainly would not be thus 
 particularly characterized, without fome 
 particular meaning. 
 
 5 We 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 323 
 
 We may recolleft, that niany of thnfe 
 that are mentioned in the gofpel, are called 
 foul, and unclean fpirits. 
 
 They might be reckoned fuch on fevernl 
 accounts. Firft, on account of the impure 
 and filthy thoughts which they fuggeited, 
 and the fins of uncleannefs, to which they 
 infligatcd, and tempted mankind. Secondly, 
 on account of their dehghting in the fat 
 and blood, and fteam, and entrails of the 
 beads offered in facrifice to them, as 'Ter- 
 iullian observes ^, upon the beft authority. 
 For the word of God aflures us, that the 
 gods of the heathens actually did eat the fat 
 of their facrijices, and drank the wine of their 
 drink offerings -f*. And hence St. Paid very 
 properly reckons, that the partaking of their 
 facrifices, was partaking of the table of 
 devils, and drinking of the cup of devils I, 
 But a heathen writer, who was much at- 
 tached to demonSy goes ftill farther; and 
 fays, that their chief delight was in blood, 
 and impurities ; and that they entered the 
 bodies of thofe that feafted upon their fa- 
 crifices, that they might have a continued, 
 
 * Tert. Apologeticus, p. 23. 
 f Deut. xxxii. 38. 
 X I Cor. X. 21. 
 
 Y 3 and 
 
324 APPENDIX, 
 
 and full enjoyment of them *. But thirdly, 
 thev iire called foul and unclean fpirits like- 
 wife, from the parts of the human body, 
 which they entered, and occupied. " This 
 wicked and unclean fpirlt, fays an antient 
 writer, that inhabits a man's belly, as a 
 ferpent his hole in the earth ; and being 
 unclean, is fit to dwell in that place, which 
 is the receptacle of ordure, they appolitely 
 call ventriloquiftst-" The perfon in whom 
 he fpake did not open his mouth. This 
 fpirit was therefore mofl commonly called 
 'Eyfxg^llJivQog l '. and fometimes, Eyfccg^ifzavng, 
 XrspvofycavTig', and EvrepoiA.ocvrig, a diviner 
 from the belly, the breall, and the entrails. 
 This was the niN* of the Old Teilament, 
 above taken notice of. Sometimes the voice 
 feemed to proceed from under the arms. 
 
 6apc"jai?* xai wroXotvouiyi Tala.'v nadwoi^lEg rotf ^pu[Ji.BVOii. 
 Eufeb. praep. evang. lib. iv. cap. 23. ex Porphyrioi 
 
 j- To iiJ.(p'jiXi\)ov TVt avOfajTTJVij yufpi sTovrjpoVf %ai u^iov 
 TTiv yiOTpoao'^ov oixEiv unx^ocflov •S7V£'j[-taj Xiocv i^(psp(j}q zrpo- 
 
 Ham. in A(5l. xvi. not, b. ex Photio. 
 + There is a peculiar propriety in the term Eyyaypt- 
 /jt.ii0o? ; v.'hich fignifiesj not only a ventriloquift ; but 
 likewife a fallacious one. For in the proper meaning 
 (.»r the word, MuOsj is a Fable . And therefore is particu- 
 larly applicable to the lying cracks of the heathens. 
 
 Or i gen 
 
onScr'ipture Dcmonology, 325 
 
 Origen defcribes the pricllefs of the la- 
 mous oracle of Pythian Apollo^ mid the 
 manner of her receivhigthe fpirir, in words 
 which may be feen below ^ but which are 
 fo obfcene, that I mult excufe mj'felf from 
 tranflating them, that I may not offend the 
 delicacy of the Englifh reader — ^* There- 
 fore, as he infers, pray confider, whether 
 the uncleannefs of this fpirit be not fully 
 evinced from hence ? And this, as he goes 
 on, is not what hath happened only once, 
 or twice, which perhaps might be tolerated; 
 but conftantly, whenever the Pythonefs is 
 thought to foretell future events *." 
 
 Well therefore on this, and the former 
 accounts, might fome fpiiits be denomi- 
 nated foul and unclean in the gofpel. 
 
 The author of the efliiy on demoniacks 
 feems to have a great tendcrnefs for the 
 moral charader of thefe fpirits ; and is loath 
 to allow they were either ev'iU or imckim •\, 
 But enough furely hath been laid, to evince 
 the real propriety of both the one and the 
 other of thefe epithets. 
 
 Tw ffw^pow, (xc.*) ai^[/jo-:o BAETTfij/, an-w Asyj]*» (q. Xifia^txi), 
 D y-cci anlsG-^cci, Origen contra Cell". lib. vii, p. o^n 
 
 t p. 61. ^^' 
 
 Y 3 it 
 
2,i6 A P P E N D I X, 
 
 Ir is not for nothing that thefe accurfed 
 fpiiits are ttius particularly charaderized, 
 and have thefe different denominations af- 
 fixed to them. They feem to point out 
 their ipecifii-k natures, and ill quahties, as 
 well as their fpecial talents for infufing the 
 like vicious qualities into men. Thus we 
 read of a fpirit that lufteth unto envy ; a 
 fpirit of error; a fpirit of Antichrift ; a 
 fpirit of jealoufy ; a fpirit of whoredoms ; 
 and a perverle Ipirit; as we read likewife 
 of many good fpirits. 
 
 Like wicked men, who have their par- 
 ticular vicious habits, and propenfities ; 
 one fin reigning more in one man ; 
 and another in another ; and fome being 
 univerfal fmners : And as fuch make 
 it their buiinefs to feduce others ; and not 
 only do things worthy of death themjelves, 
 but take pleafure In thofe that do them : So 
 thofe wicked fpirits feem to have their pre- 
 dominant vices too ; fome vices being more 
 deeply implanted in fome of them, and 
 others, in others : Which it is their fpecial 
 province to tempt men to, in order to affi- 
 milate them, as much as may be, tothem- 
 felves : Whilft others again are more uni- 
 verfally wicked ; and have a genius, if I 
 may be allowed the expreflion, for under- 
 taking 
 
on Scripture Demonology, ^27 
 
 taking any mifchief; and inftigating to any 
 vice. And accordingly they are all incef- 
 fantly employed in proje£ling and working 
 the deftrudion of mankind, in one fiiape oj: 
 other. 
 
 This Is as much as I have been able to 
 extra£t concerning the devil, and his angels, 
 out of the holy fcriptures; In which alone 
 any certain information about them is to be 
 found. It is alledged, that the light of na- 
 ture difcovers not the exiftence of fallen 
 angels *. And this is readily allowed. We 
 may ranfack all the ftores of human learn- 
 ing J but fhall never be able to find any 
 light from them into the world of fplrits, 
 that can be depended upon. The demono- 
 logy of the antient heathens, and of their 
 philofophers, was grounded, partly upon 
 tradition, derived from the fall ; partly upon 
 their own too fatal experience, and obferva- 
 tion, concerning the intercourfe, which 
 fome Invlfible beings mufl have had with 
 mankind ; and partly, I doubt not, they 
 w^ere mifled by the Ignis fatuus of the demons 
 themfelves, to judge concerning them other- 
 wile than they really were in themfelves. 
 
 * EiTayon Demoniacks, p. 151. 
 
 Y 4 What 
 
328 A P P E N D I X, 
 
 What Is moft confiderable in any heathen 
 writings in this refpcifl:, is the dodrine of 
 the two principles ; the one good, the 
 other evil ; the former being reprefented by 
 light, the iatter by darknefs — That thefe 
 two principles were conftantly contending 
 with each other ; but that the good prin- 
 ciple fnall at lail: prevail, and triumph oyer 
 the evil one— That the one is called 0so$-, 
 ; God ; and the other Aca[/,uv, Devil, as we 
 trandate. 
 
 This opinion was fo antient, that Plu- 
 tarch did not know whom to afcribe it to. 
 The founder of it is generally fuppofed to 
 have been Zoroa/ier, though he ought 
 rather to be efteemed its reformer. The 
 good principle he called Oromafcies ; the evil 
 one, Arima?iius. Now Zoroajier is, upon 
 good grounds, fuppofed to have been a yew. 
 He reformed the Magi an religion, upon a 
 Jewifli platform ; and wrote a book con- 
 formable to the fcripture dodrines. He 
 taught, that under the Suprerne Being, 
 there was an angel of light, and an angel of 
 darknefs, in perpetual ftruggle with each 
 other, and that this conteft (hall continue 
 to the end of the world ; when there fhall 
 be a general judgment. After which th 
 
 angels 
 
on Scripture Demonology. ^29 
 
 angels of darknefs fhall be fent to a world of 
 their oivn ; where they fhall fuffer in ever- 
 lafling darknefs, the punifhment of their 
 evil deeds. 
 
 Hence it is evident, that this impodor 
 was not unacquainted with the revolt of the 
 fallen angels, and the entrance of evii into 
 the world that way. And hence it appears, 
 that the bed notions, which the heathens 
 had of evil fpirits, were drawn from the 
 Jewidi fcriptures ; and thofe notions much 
 corrupted *. 
 
 tience it is plain Ukewife, that the holy 
 fcriptures are the only fource we have to 
 draw from in this refpedl. We have no data 
 of our own to proceed upon, in refearches 
 of this kind. The nature of thefe invifible 
 Beings, like themfelves, is too fubtle for 
 our metaphyficks to attain any knowledge of. 
 Every man however ought to have as much 
 knowledge concerning his fpiritual enemies, 
 as is neceflary to prelerve him from their 
 fnares. And as this is to be had from the 
 fcripture alone -, it mufl certainly be very 
 pernicious to corrupt this facred fountain, 
 
 * Plutarch de Ifide et OHridc. Prid, Conncx, part 
 J, book. iv. 
 
330 APPENDIX, 
 
 and to pervert the fenfe of fcriptiire relating 
 to it. To reprefent thefe as impotent ene- 
 mies, that have no power to hurt us, is 
 making them to be no more than bug-bears 
 to frighten children : And this, I am forry 
 to fay it, is the tendency of the eflay on 
 dcmoniacks. The demonology of which 
 lies in a very narrow compafs. 
 
 The declared purport of it is, to argue 
 us out of the reality of poffeffions, and to 
 perfuade us, that they are only imaginary, 
 and the notion fuperflitious — That poflefiing 
 demons were efteemed to be only departed 
 fouls ; and thefe are reduced to non -entities — 
 That neither the Devil, nor his angels had 
 any concern in poffeffions at ail ; and that 
 the Devil is never mentioned in fcripture in 
 any connexion with this fubje<Sl: * : The 
 contrary to which I flatter myfelf, is in the 
 foregoing fheets made very evident. Other 
 poiitions of the fame tendency maintained 
 by this author are — " That it is abfurd and 
 dangerous to allow, that men are in the 
 power of fuperior malevolent ipirits-f-" — 
 " That whoever the heathen demons, or 
 deities were, whether human or angelick 
 
 * EfTay, p. 385; t Ibid. p. 168. 
 
 fpirits. 
 
on Scripture Demonoiogy, 331 
 
 fpirits, they are all, without exception, 
 branded in fcripture, as being utterly void 
 of all power, to do either good, or evil to 
 mankuid *" — '* That the Devil was not 
 reallv, and perfonally prefent with Chrift, 
 in his temptation ; and couJd a6l no part in 
 that whole tranfadtion-f* ;'* notwithftanding 
 what thegofpel informs us to the contrary — 
 " That there is but one Devil ;" which is 
 obferved more than once J : And I do not 
 find, that he is fuppofed to be a real tempter 
 at all ; though he is exprefsly fo called in 
 the word of God ; or allowed to concern 
 himfelf with mankind in any refpe6l. But 
 that he is a kind of folitary, infignificant, 
 inaftive Being, that feems only to fill up a 
 blank in the creation. How juft a repre- 
 fentation of him this is, appears from the 
 whole and every part of what hath been 
 here {aid concerning him. 
 
 A rhetorical paflage out of TeriuIUan is 
 indeed quoted, which gives him a kind of 
 ubiquity § ; in common with angels, and 
 
 * Eflay, p. 191. 
 
 t Enquiry into Chrift*s temptation in the wildernefs, 
 p. 85. 
 
 X p. 207, 305. of the EfTay on Demoniacks. 
 § Eflay, p. 263. Tert, Apologet. p. 22. 
 
 demons 
 
332 APPENDIX, 
 
 demons in general : But for what purpofe I 
 
 know not, nnl'^fs \t be to iniinuate, that by 
 
 behig fuppofed to be every where, he is no 
 
 where. 
 
 This is the demonology of this author, 
 which is not only contrary to the fcripture 
 account of it here laid down ; but diame- 
 trically oppofite likewife to the very letter, 
 fenfe, and whole tenour of the fcripture 
 itfelf, from the one end of it to the other. 
 
 He hath madefhorr work with the Devil, 
 and his angels ; and hath done more tiian all 
 the exorcilts put togetlier ever pretended to. 
 He hath laid the Devil, and all other evil 
 Ipirits; bani (lied them our of the world ; 
 and m a manner deftro/ed their very exif- 
 tence. And if this be the cafe, we are abfo- 
 lutely delivered from one third part of our 
 fpiritual enemies; and thofe the mod dan- 
 gerous of any. 
 
 And fnice he is gone fo far, I do not fee 
 why he might not proceed one ftep farther, 
 to complete this goodly fyllem. For as he 
 feems to be perfuaded, that Beelzebub, and 
 j\ll other demons^ are non-entities ; why 
 ihould he boggle at allowing the Devil to be 
 thefelf-fame Being with Beehebiib, when 
 there is fufficient proof of it ; and more 
 
 than 
 
on Scripture Dcmonohgy, 333 
 
 than fufliicienf to convince a well-Inclined 
 mind ? And then, why not annihilate him 
 likewile ? 
 
 This would be doing acceptable fervice to 
 libertines, free-thinkers, and all the infidel 
 tribe ; in ridding them of fo troublefome a 
 gucil, as he othervvile would fometlmes be, 
 and of all gloomy apprehenfions concerning 
 him. 
 
 But let them be affured, that the Devil Is 
 not a name, or word, contrived to fcare and 
 affright timorous people with. He is a real 
 Being, though generally invifible to our 
 fleflily eyes ; but not therefore the lefs dan- 
 gerous enemy. If he were to appear in his 
 own nakednefs and deformity ; that would 
 countcra6t his attempts upon us, and be 
 alone fufficient to make us fhun him, and 
 blefs ourfelves from him — But uncloathed 
 and unbodied natures may converfe with us 
 by fecret illapfes, while we are not aware 
 of them. And as there is a good fpirit, 
 converfant in the world ; Inviting and in- 
 fluencing mankind to virtue and hollnefs : 
 So is there an evil fpirit, who is ever buiy- 
 ing himfelf in tempting them to fin and vice, 
 and drawing them into a refemblance to 
 himfelf. For the Devil, and his angels did 
 
 not 
 
334 APPENDIX, 
 
 ' not fall from Heaven fo much, by a local 
 defcent, as by a mental apoftacy from, and 
 diffimilitude of God. They were indeed 
 caft down into a local hell likewife ; but 
 we have feen, they are not all, nor at 
 all times, ftri^lly confined there: And we 
 have too good proofs of their enlargement 
 and liberty, to need the defcending thither 
 to feek them, or to ufe any magical charms 
 to fetch them up from thence *. Satan is 
 perpetually ranging and roving about the 
 world. This we have his own word for. He 
 repeatedly confefled to his Maker, that he 
 Q?iVC\tfrom going to and fro in the earth, and 
 
 from walking up and down in it -f*. And the 
 Apoftle aflures us, that our adverfary the 
 Devil, as a roaring lion, walkeih about, feek- 
 ing whom he may devour %, And he ufes 
 this as an argument of fobriety and vigi- 
 lance againft him. 
 
 But how oppofite to the word of God, 
 and to the defign of our holy religion ; and 
 how pernicious to the fouls of men is it, to 
 broach any opinions, or fuggeft any infmua- 
 tions, of a contrary tendency ? This is put- 
 ting us off our guard, and lulling us afleep, 
 
 * See Smidi's Seledl Difcourfcs,* , 47. 
 t Job 1.7. X I Pet. V. 8. 
 
 when 
 
on Scripture Demonology, o^^ 
 
 when the enemy is hi our quarters ; belet- 
 tlng us on every fide ; and playing all his 
 artillery againft us. It is ading the part of 
 a confederate. It is fighting under his 
 banner ; and betraying our fellow-creatures, 
 and ourfclves too, it is to be feared, into 
 his fnares. 
 
 And this I mufl: own appears to me to 
 be the plain tendency of the unfettling 
 of our faith in our Lord's temptation ; 
 and of that relating to diabolical polTeffions. 
 If the fcripture had been filent about Chrift's 
 temptation ; there had been no foundation 
 for our faith in it. But this is mentioned 
 as a fa6t by three evangeli (Is ; and very par- 
 ticularly and circumllantially recorded by 
 two of them ; and we are elfewhere aflured 
 by the word of God, that he was in all 
 things tempted like unto our [elves : And yet the 
 reality of this fa£l is difputed. And if any 
 can be induced to think that Chrift was not 
 tempted at all -, I do not fee what fhould 
 hinder them from flattering themfelves ; 
 that neither are they obnoxious to tempta- 
 tions ; whatever they are taught to the 
 contrary. 
 
 So likewife, though the Devil and his 
 angels never gave fuch palpable proofs of 
 tJieir intermeddling with mankind, in the 
 
 great 
 
336 APPENDIX, 
 
 great affair of their falvation ; and never 
 exerted themfelves fo openly, in any other 
 methods of mifchief, and deftrudlion, as in 
 that of pofleffions ; if notwithftanding men 
 fuffer themfelves to he perfuaded, that there 
 was nothing real in them j they will be 
 tempted to laugh at the imperceptible aflaults 
 of their fpiritual enemies ; and may be ban- 
 tered out of the belief of their very ex- 
 iflence. 
 
 Thus hath this man been tugging at the 
 two main pillars, on which the fcripture 
 doctrine concerning the exiftence of the 
 Devil, or any other evil fpirits, refts : 
 Which yet, I truft, will iland. If he doth 
 not mean totally to deftroy this doctrine, 
 he fhould let us know, how thefe fupports 
 of it may be fufficiently replaced ; and 
 what others equivalent to them, he thinks 
 fit to leave us, for the foundation of our 
 faith in this refpe6l. 
 
 If we begin to entertain flight notions of 
 the deadly enemy of bur fouls ; and grow 
 regardlefs of his power to hurt us ; we ex- 
 pofe ourfelves an eafy prey to him, who 
 hath manifold arts and flratagems, for fe- 
 ducing unwary mortals, and drawing them 
 into his fnares. 
 
 It 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 337 
 
 It behoves us therefore, as we tender our 
 own fafety, to watch and pray ; and no put 
 on the whole armour of God, that ive may be 
 able to Ji and in the evil day \ and againft the 
 evil one. We fhould have our Jenfes exer- 
 cifed to difcern both good and evil : Then we 
 fliall not be ignorant of his devices, and as 
 dreadful an enemy as he is, we need not be 
 difmayed at him. For we are affured, that 
 if we do but rejijl him, he will Jiee from us. 
 
 Hear the words of an antient chriftian, 
 who fpeaks from his own experience. 
 " This we can affirm, fays he, from our 
 own experience, that they who worfhip and 
 ferve God, through Jefus Chriil:, in a chrif- 
 tian manner, living according to his gofpel, 
 and perfevering in the ufe of fervent prayer 
 night and day, are m no danger from any 
 magical arts, or devils: For that the angel 
 of the Lord encampeih round about them, that 
 fear him^ and deliver eth them *." 
 
 In this age of the gofpel, when the light 
 of it, God be praifed, is become fo preva- 
 lent, that the powers of darknefs can the 
 lefs bear it ; and are much checked and 
 weakened, in their influence on the chrif- 
 
 * Ofigen contra Celf. lib. vi. p. 302. 
 
 Z tian 
 
3;8 APPENDIX, 
 
 tian world ; by its illumination of the under- 
 flandings of men ; and trie general refor- 
 mation, which it hath made in the lives of 
 chriflians ; we feldom, if ever> have any 
 certain account of poilellions, or obfeffions. 
 And hence it is, tliat many have been in- 
 duced to think, there never were in reality 
 any fuch. But we have flill rulers of dark- 
 nefs to contend Vvith : And there is a fpirit 
 that dill worketh in the children ofdifobedience, 
 more covertly, and fubtily perhaps : But 
 that affords us no grounds for fupinenefs, and 
 fecurity. 
 
 The notion of witchcraft is now exploded; 
 and the wifdom and humanity of our legif- 
 lature is much to be commended, for the 
 repeal of thofe laws that had been made 
 againft it ; whereby I doubt not many in- 
 nocent perfons, in times pad, fuffered. 
 Nor, I believe, are there any grounds for 
 thinking, that a ilngle guilty perfon hath 
 efcaped puniiliment by the repeal of them. 
 And yet I \m\\ not take upon me to pro- 
 nounce, that there never was any occafion 
 lor thoie laws, before they were made ; and 
 that none of all thofe fecmingly well at- 
 tefted cafes of witchcraft were real, though 
 iome of them were attended with very ex- 
 traordinary, 
 4 
 
on Scripture Demofiology, i:^g 
 
 traordinary, and otherwife unaccountable 
 circumftances. 
 
 This is certain, that charms and force- 
 ries were made ufe of in thofe times, for 
 the difcovery of witches : Thefe were direct 
 apphcations to infernal fpirits ; and it is not 
 improbable, but that they might have 
 flruck in with them : And the word of God 
 informs us, Tbat hy for eerie s all nations have 
 been deceived^'. The good riddance which 
 in this age we have had of them, is one in- 
 flance, among many others, of the benefit 
 which we receive from the increafing light 
 of the gofpel. 
 
 Notwithftanding this, I do not fee, that 
 any man can pronounce, there are no fuch 
 phenomena, as witchcraft, or poffeffioiis at 
 prefent ; much lefs, that there cannot be 
 any fuch. 
 
 We have feen, what a learned man, who 
 lived about two centuries ago, declared con- 
 cerning the reality of feveral poflellions, 
 which he had been an eye-witnefs of-i-; 
 And his teftimony cannot be refufed, efpe- 
 cially by a perfon, that produces him, as a 
 witnefs for another purpofe]:, 
 
 •* Rev. xviii. 23. t ?• 208, above. 
 
 X Eflay on Demoniacks, p. 53. 
 
 Z 2 Other 
 
340 APPENDIX, 
 
 Other autliors of good credit, who flou- 
 riihed about the fame time, and later, af- 
 firm, that they themfelves, among many 
 others, had (cen ventriloquifts, and heard 
 them fpeak out of their belhes, and other 
 parts of their bodies. 
 
 ** j^ug. Eugahlnus affirms, that he himfelf 
 had feen fuch women, called ventriloquy 
 (which is the lame with the Greek eyfugpi- 
 f/.v9oi)t from whom, as they fat, a voice 
 came out of their fecret parts ; and gave 
 anfwers to enquiries. And Cd'lius Rbodi- 
 ginus (lib. viii. Antiq, Le£l. cap. lo.) faith, 
 this is not to be entertained with laughter; 
 for not only he fiw fuch a woman 3 and 
 heard a very fmall voice coming out of her 
 belly; but innumerable other people, not 
 only at Rhodigium ; but In a manner through 
 all Italy, Among whom there were many 
 great perfons, who had her ftrlpt naked, 
 that they might be lure there was no fraud ; 
 to whom a voice anfwered unto fuch things 
 as they enquired. Hiero7i, Oleajier alfo, 
 upon Ifaiah xxiv. 4, faith, he faw fuch a one 
 at hifcon ; from under whole arm-holes, 
 and other parts of her, a fmall voice was 
 heard, which readily anfwered to whatever 
 was afked *." 
 
 * Bifhop Patrick's Comment, on Levit. xix. 31. 
 
 Thefe 
 
of7 Scripture Demonology, 341 
 
 Thefe are all grave writers, wlio lived 
 not above two ages ago ; and whofc tefll- 
 mony has a right to be received by us, as 
 it was by B I (hop Patrick; who gives l.is 
 fanSjion to it. And what hath been, mav 
 be again. 
 
 Leo All alius like wife hath colle«5led va- 
 rious inflrances of ventriloquifts ; which, as 
 I know no reafon for doubting about them, 
 on the one hand, fo I will not vouch for the 
 authenticity of them, on tlie otlier *. 
 
 Evil 
 
 * Leonis y^llatii dc Engjftrimytho Syntagma, cap. \v. 
 This learned writer confirms the defcripticn given above, 
 p. 317, of the violent paroxyfrns of furv, with which 
 the Pytbonejfes were feized, and tortured, even almolt 
 unto drath. Ibid. 
 
 He like Aife defcribes their voice, as being not arti- 
 culate, diftincl, or clear; hut flcnder, fqucaking,. and 
 perplexed ; that by its obfcurity, the lit-s which it 
 uttered might be the Icfs difcovcred, cap. v. Agreeably 
 to the account given in this /iipendix, page 278. In 
 thefillowing chapters, he alio confiJcrs at laroe, the 
 celebrated cjuefiion, whether iS"tf/;?«/-/ a^^pearcd in pcrfon, 
 vvlit-n called up by the witch of Er.d:r ; or whether it 
 was not fom? wicked demcr., that a/lumed his Hkenefs 
 gnd reprefentcd him. He gives us the opinion of Qrigen^ 
 and fo:ne other fathers, (or ihc reality of his ap, carancc. 
 Ai.d likcwife the opinion and arguments of Ei.'iintllus 
 vvitb v.'hcrii many other fathers, a;:d ar.iicnt writers of 
 
 ^ :> great 
 
342 APPENDIX, 
 
 Evil Beings have been fuppofed to take 
 
 advantage of the indlfpolition of the body, 
 
 to afFe6t the imagination, and to diforder 
 
 the brain ; whereby madnefles, that are fo 
 
 common, may often have been caufed. The 
 
 ravings and diftradlions of Py^honejfes, and 
 
 others, that profefied to foretell future events, 
 
 by the fuggeftions of fuch fpirits, are infbances 
 
 in proof of this point: And we know not 
 
 how far fuch foreign powers may contribute 
 
 to other madnelles : But that polTeffion and 
 
 iTiadncfs are convertible terms, and that all 
 
 demoniacal cafes are to be refolved into 
 
 m idnefles, and epilepfies, and thofe only 
 
 natural diforders, is a prefumption without 
 
 great note, concur, in' refutation of Origen^ and fup* 
 port of the other fide of the queftion. And concludes, 
 that il'iC opinion of Evjlatlnus is the more probable, 
 more confonant to truth, and to the authority of the 
 fathers ; and more agreeable to the text of holy fcripture 
 iikcwife. And I have the happinefs of finding, that 
 v.liat I have advanced above, on this, as well as the 
 f()rci.>oing heads, is agreeable to the fentiments of this 
 learned man; and abundantly confirmed by him, out of 
 the vvriti!i2;s of the aniients : Which I did not know, 
 when I hid thefe joints under cojifideration ; Other- 
 wife I probably wcuid have profited more by, and made 
 a bcttc}- ufc of his labours ; which I now can only refer 
 to, 
 
 any 
 
on Scripture Demonology. 343 
 
 any proof at all ; and hath been fnewn to 
 be contrary to facl in many cafes. 
 
 A good reafoner hath made it extremely 
 probable, that all men are fubje£l to im- 
 preffions, which are of the fame kind, ia 
 an inferior degree, with poileffions ; and 
 that we are all vifited with them., or liable 
 to them, every night of our lives. Dream- 
 ing is a phcenofnenon, which many antients 
 and moderns have attempted to account for : 
 But none, I conceive, in fo fatisfcKflory a 
 manner, as this writer. Heobferves, "that 
 this appearance cannot be the effect of me- 
 chanilm ; but muft proceed from fome 
 living, defigning caufe. Many of our 
 dreams are foodd, and fo much out of the 
 fphere of a man's own knowledge, that 
 they cannot be caufed by his own imagina- 
 tion, or any of his. own faculties— That, 
 therefore they mud be fuggefted to him, by 
 fome foreign fpiritual Being, impreffing the 
 idea upon the fenfory ; by means of which, 
 the foul, which is paffive, hath it by com- 
 munication ; and that way becomes the per- 
 cipient of it," ill much t!ie fame manner, 
 we may fuppofe, as one waking man per- 
 ceives what is communicated to him by 
 another. " And thus, fays he, by eafy 
 Z 4 It-tps 
 
344 A P P E N D I X, 
 
 ileps u'e fee, tliat dreaming may degenerate 
 into poffejjion ; and that the caufe, and na- 
 ture of botli is the fame ; differing only in 
 degree. For dreaming is but pojfej/lon in 
 fleep ; from which we are relieved again, 
 when we awake ; and external objects begin 
 to fplicit the perceptivity through the 
 fenfcs*." 
 
 «< This notion of our dreams degenerating 
 into a waking pollLffion, be elfe where tells 
 ns, is not entirely new ; as we may fee 
 from thole authors, which he quotes, who. 
 had written on this fubje£t before him. 
 Whatever way a man accounts for thefe 
 two phanamena^ he will readily give the 
 iame folution for both ; there being fuch 
 an affinity between them t'" 
 
 Here we fee, that the reality of thele 
 fupcrnatural -cafes, which wc read of in 
 icriptiire, is countenanced by natural ap- 
 pearances ; which conftantly prefent them- 
 felvesto us. Revelation, in thefe inftances, 
 hath the fanclion of found philofophy^ and 
 
 * EfiTav on the Flia'nomenon of Dreaming, vol. ii, 
 p. 131, of a trcatiie er.titled, hv\ Enquiry into thf 
 
 IVr.'urc'rfth: Human Soul. 
 ^,- ibiJ.. p. 13Q. 
 
 pofleffions 
 
071 Scripture Demonology, ^4^ 
 
 poffeffions are well illuftrated, and con- 
 firmed by our very dreams. 
 
 Let it here however be confidered, that 
 though we are liable to the incurfions of 
 evil fpirits; and fome of our moft frightful 
 dreams are fuggefted by them ; yet that their 
 commiffion is limited — That they are li- 
 cenfed to go fo fiir, and no farther — And 
 that they cannot touch a hair of our head, 
 without the divine permiffion. God is about 
 our path, and about our bed^. And the angel 
 of the Lord encampeth round about them, that 
 fear him, and deliver eth them f. Let it be 
 confidered farther, that even our moft ter- 
 rifying dreams do not always proceed from 
 malevolent fpirits ; and that we are not to 
 conclude from that circumftance, that they 
 are the authors of them. No dream, nor 
 night-vilion, could be more terrible, than 
 that of Eljphaz in Job : And yet it was 
 caufed by a holy angel ; as appears from 
 the do6lrine delivered by him, at the clofe 
 of it. 
 
 NoviJ a thitig ivas fccretly brought to me, 
 and mine car received a little thereof hi 
 thoughts from the vifcns of the nighty when 
 
 + Pfalm cxxxix, 2. f Pfalmxxxiv. 7. 
 
 deep 
 
346 APPENDIX, 
 
 deep Jleep falleth on men* Fear came upon me, 
 and trembling ; "uobich made all my bones to, 
 
 'Then a fpirit pq[fed before my eyes : The 
 hair of my headjiood up. 
 
 It Jl^odJlill% but I could not dijcern the form 
 thereof'. An image was before mine eyes ; there 
 was filence, and I heard a voice foying. 
 
 Shall mortal man be more juf than God? 
 Shall a man he more pure than his maker * f 
 
 That impreffions may be made on our fa- 
 culties in fleep by foreign powers, will admit 
 of no doubt, if it be but recolleded, that 
 many inftances occur in fcripture of the in- 
 terpofition of angels, and even of God hlm- 
 felf, in dreams, and night-vifions -f-. For 
 God fpeaketh once, yea twice, yet man per* 
 ceivelh it not. 
 
 In a dream ; in a vifon of the nighty when 
 deep fecp falleth upon men ; in furnberings 
 upon the bed. Then he openeth the ears of men ; 
 and fealeth their infrudiion J. 
 
 * Job iv. 12. 17. 
 
 t See Gen. xx. 3. 6 — xxxi. 11. 24. Nurrib. xii. 6. 
 1 Kings, iii. 5. Matt. i. 20.— ii. 12. 
 + Jobxxxiii. yi. 15. i6. 
 
 It 
 
on Scripture Demonology, ^^y 
 
 It is confonant to our notions of the 
 goodnefs of the divine providence, and of 
 God's care for his creatures ; as well as to 
 the exprefs words of fcripture, to believe ; 
 that as there are malignant and deftro^ing 
 angels , fo there are good ones, who are ap- 
 pointed by him to be the guardians of good 
 men efpeclally ; and, as we have feen, to 
 prefide over empires and kingdonis ; and to 
 infped, ;nid admmitter the afiairs of them*. 
 The antient heathens had the hke perfua- 
 fion, however they came by it, that every 
 man had his good demon appointed him., as 
 foon as he was born into the world, to be 
 the guide and guardian of his life ^. And 
 the demon of Socrates is a remarkable inftance, 
 which greatly confirms the truth of it. His 
 only retraining him from evil, but never 
 exciting him to good, is however an indi- 
 cation of what partial and imperfed helps 
 the beft of men had, in a ftate of nature, 
 for the prefervation of their virtue, by the 
 
 * Dan. X. 13. 21. — xii. i. Zecli. i. 8. — vi. i. 8. 
 
 fAtraywyoj m (int ayxh;. Menander. 
 
 inftrumentality 
 
348 APPENDIX, 
 
 inftrumentality of fpirits with fuch limited 
 powers ; in comparifon with that plen- 
 tiful efFufion of preventing, retraining, 
 flrengthening, exciting, and all kinds of 
 graces, vouchfafed by God's holy fpirit 
 to good naen, under the gofpel difpen- 
 fation. 
 
 The young difciples of Chrift have their 
 angels, who are always obferving the face 
 o/" their heavenly Father, to know his plea- 
 fure concerning them *. They that be with 
 us are more than they that be with them. 
 This was Elijha's aflured refledion, when 
 , he fliewed his young man the mountain 
 full of horfes and chariots of fire, round 
 about him, -to protect him againft the hoft 
 of the Syrians ; which encompaffed the city, 
 in order to feize, and carry him away -f, 
 God fent his angel to fliut the mouths of 
 the lioqs, that they could not hurt Daniel'^, 
 He giveih his angels charge over us. For are 
 they not ail minijlering Jpirits, Jent forth to 
 minijicr for them, who fiall be heirs of JaU 
 vation § f 
 
 * Matt, xviii. lo. f 2 Kings, vi. 15. 
 
 X Dan, vi, 22. § Heb. i. 14. 
 
 Everlafting 
 
on Scripture Demonology, 349 
 
 Everlafting God, who haft ordahied and 
 conflituted the fervices of angels and men 
 in a wonderful order : Mercifully grant, 
 that as thy holy angels always do thee fer- 
 vice in heaven ; fo by thy appointment, 
 they may fuccour and defend us on earth, 
 through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
E R K- A T A» 
 
 Page 49, I. 14, for very ill one, r. very ill contrived one, 
 55, 1. I, for deprecate, r. depreciate, 
 65.1. 19, iox appointed, r, anointed, 
 324, Add to the text at the bottom of the page, 
 Andfometimes out of the earth. 
 
BOOKS lately publijhed •, 
 
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 Inftru£lions concerning Confirmation. 
 
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