May the good Spirit of God fix these truths in all our hearts, for Jesus Christ's sake. To Whom, with the Father and that Holy Spirit, be ascribed all honour and glory now and for ever. Amen.

SERMON XXI.

ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS.

THE NATURE, THE POWER, AND THE MALICE, OF EVIL SPIRITS;
AND THE NECESSITY OF A STEDFAST FAITH IN THE PROTECTION
OF GOD.

MARK V. 13.

39. 28;

Luke 10. 17;

See Ecclus. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand,) and were choked in the sea.

John 13.
27; 2 Cor.
2. 10, 11;
Eph. 2. 2;
James 4. 7;
Rev. 12. 12.

THE Church has appointed this festival, that we may not forget that there are other beings, besides those we every day see and converse with, with which we are greatly concerned; the Word of God assuring us, that both good and bad angels are appointed or permitted by God, the one to succour and defend us, the other to hurt and ruin us, whenever we take ourselves from under His protection.

Sometimes we are apt to ascribe too much power to evil spirits, and to be too much afraid of those whom we suspect to have dealings with them. And sometimes we despise them and their power, as if we had nothing to fear from them. We are in the wrong in both these extremes.

The history which I am going to explain to you will give us a better account of these matters. It is mentioned by three of the Evangelists as a subject which the christian world ought to be well acquainted with; so that you may be sure it is your duty to know and understand what God has revealed to us concerning the nature, the power, the number, and the malice, of those evil spirits that are about us, and

how we may be secure from any evil they can do to us. The history is this:

There met Jesus a man possessed with a legion of devils: his condition was very miserable; he was night and day in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones; he had been often bound with fetters and chains, but to no purpose; he plucked them asunder, neither could any man tame him. Jesus, seeing him in this condition, had compassion on him, and commanded the evil spirits to leave him. They knew they must obey, but they besought Him that they might go into an herd of swine that were feeding hard by; the very nature of them being to do mischief whenever they are permitted. Jesus, that He might convince the world how dreadful their malice is, and how great their power when left to themselves, and not restrained by God, therefore gave them leave. And behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And that very legion of evil spirits, which just before could not destroy one poor man (their power being limited by God), can now destroy with - ease two thousand other creatures, having obtained leave so to do.

When Jesus was about to leave this place, he that had been possessed with the devils besought Him that he might be with Him; fearing, very probably, that the devils and his disorders might return, when once his deliverer should be gone, and at a distance from him; but Jesus suffered him not to go with Him, but bade him go home to his friends, and tell them how great things the Lord had done for him. From which He would have us to learn, that the eyes of the Lord are in every place, and that His providence is sufficient security against all attempts of the devil, provided we are but in the way of our duty.

Now, from this history we learn three truths of great importance. First; that the devil is a spirit of great malice and great power. Secondly; that both his malice and power are altogether under the government of God. And thirdly, that God often permits him to do great mischief for the punishment of wicked men, and for the trial of the faith of good men.

SERM.
XXI.

I. And first; that the devil is a spirit of great power and malice, is made known to us as often almost as he is spoken of in the Holy Scriptures. St. Paul expresses his power after Eph. 6. 12. this manner: "We wrestle not against flesh and blood," that is, against men like ourselves, "but against the rulers of the darkness of this world," against wicked spirits, who endeavour all that is possible to make men as wicked as 1 Pet. 5. 8. themselves. And St. Peter likens him to "a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour," that is, whom he may be permitted to destroy. "He was a murderer from the beginning," saith our Lord, John viii. 44. And, Rev. xii. 9, he is said to deceive the whole world.

And, because we are more affected with what we see or hear to be done by him, this history is recorded, that we may not want sufficient evidence of what he can do.

Having got possession of the poor man, he had no longer rest. Being forced by the command of Christ to leave this habitation, his malice went as far as he knew it would be suffered to go; for getting possession of the swine they were immediately every one destroyed.

Now this miracle being the only one of all that Jesus wrought, which brought any thing that looked like an injury to any man, we may be sure it was permitted, in order to fix a lasting impression and remembrance upon all that should hear of it, what great power the devil has when he is let loose to do what he pleases. And it was well even for these very people who lost their goods, that they knew the power of evil spirits by such a judgment as this. For the devil could as easily have destroyed two thousand of them, as two thousand of their swine, had God permitted him to have used his power.

II. For being entirely under the government of God, he can do nothing without God's permission.

The text saith, "Jesus gave them leave;" to assure us, that without his leave they had no power. And in the book and history of Job it is revealed to us, that the evil spirit has no power to exercise his malice but when he has express Job 1. 10. leave from God: "Hast not Thou made a fence about him, and about all that he hath?" This that the devil complained of was Job's security; but when God gave the word,

"Behold, all that he has is in thy power," we see what short Job 1. 12. work the devil made of all that the world calls happiness. He left him neither estate, nor child, nor health, nor friend, except God only; in Whose providence, notwithstanding his severe afflictions, he continued to put his trust, and in the end it turned to account, and for his good.

32.

And our Lord told St. Peter, "Behold, Satan has desired Luke 22.31, to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not;" that God would deliver thee from that great trial and temptation; and accordingly he was delivered by the grace of God; though God suffered Satan to proceed so far as to make St. Peter to deny his Lord against his most solemn promises and resolutions. But then this was to shew us two things; first, what poor weak creatures we are when left to ourselves, and to Satan to govern us; and secondly, that the devil's malice is restrained by God, Who permits him to make use of just so much malice as will answer God's ends and serve His glory.

III. That God permits the devil to make use of his malice and power, for the trial of good men, and for the punishment of the wicked, is what we now come to consider, and to prove by the Word of God.

And in the first place, this is what the Spirit of God foretold the Church of Smyrna: "Fear none of those things Rev. 2. 10. which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil will cast some of

you into prison, that ye may be tried. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

This was the case of Job, and this was the great mistake of his friends, who thought that punishment was always for the faults of him that suffered. And yet our Blessed Saviour, by the decree of God, was to be the most afflicted, while He was the most innocent, of men. And His apostle St. Paul had a messenger of Satan, that is, a disease by God's per- 2 Cor. 12. mission, inflicted on him by Satan, to prevent that pride which would otherwise have ruined him.

7,8.

13.

In all these cases, good men have a sure promise to support their spirits: "God is faithful, Who will not suffer you 1 Cor. 10. to be tempted above what you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."