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easily be persuaded that they are delusory or evil: as when once they discern that the word is of God, they may well believe that it must needs be true. For he that cannot believe that God is true of his word, and good in his works, can hardly believe that there is a God: which almost all the world do profess to believe.

That mere man is the author of such miracles is so utterly improbable and impossible, that I cannot find that the devil himself doth expect it should be credited, and therefore is not very industrious to persuade men to believe it. But all his drift is to draw men to believe that he himself is the author of them. As I find it in Scripture, so do I by constant observation of Satan's order and wiles in drawing men to infidelity, that this which I have laid down is his usual method. If he cannot keep men from knowing of Christ and his works, he would keep them from believing the truth of the report. If he cannot keep men from believing that such works were done, his last refuge is to persuade them that it was by witchcraft or some power of the devil, and not by God. And if you dispute with an infidel, Jew, or pagan, in this order must you be put to deal with them. You may rationally prove, from the most credible history, that Christ lived on earth, and wrought miracles, and died, and rose again, and appeared to more than five hundred brethren at once, and in the sight of his disciples ascended into heaven, and sent down the Spirit upon his disciples, causing them commonly to speak strange language, and to cast out devils, and work miracles for a long time, both far and near. You may make them confess all this, or deny as credible records as any are in the world: and so go against the most palpable light. And therefore the Jews do ordinarily yet confess either all or most, at least, except the resurrection of Christ.

But then, the last fort that you must drive them out of is this, they tell you, "The devil can do as much as all this; and he may do it for his own ends; though we ourselves can do no such works yet little do mortals know what invisible powers there are, or what an evil spirit may do; and therefore these may be the works of the devil, as many the like are which are done by conjurers and witches.'

I have thought meet, therefore, to speak somewhat on this subject, and to add it to the foregoing discourse. Though I easily foresee that it will be offensive to some, who will say,

1. That we do but bring scruples and temptations to men's mind, which else they might never think of.

2. That Scripture is not to be proved, but to be believed. But the reasons of my resolution and endeavours herein are these:

1. Because, if the foundation be not well laid, the building may be the easier shaken. Such Christians do soonest turn infidels, that were Christians they knew not why, or not on sound grounds that will endure an assault.

2. Because the lively exercise and prosperity of all graces doth much depend on the stability of our belief.

3. Because I find that there are abundance of young students, and other Christians, assaulted with these temptations, of which I have heard many complain that dare not make them known to many.

4. Because I have felt the experience in myself of the malicious suggestions of the tempter in these things.

5. Because I see such abundance of people that lately seemed to believe the Scripture, and to live godly, to turn either professed infidels, or secret deriders of Scripture, or sceptics that know not whether it be true or false: who go under the names of libertines, familists, seekers, Behmenists, quakers, ranters, &c. And it were worth the labour if any of these might be recovered. If not, I think it is high time for us to stop up the breach, and if it may be, to prevent the apostasy of the rest, that we may not all turn infidels, while we zealously begin in contendings about inferior things.

6. Because I find, as is said, that this is the devil's last assault; and the last is usually the sorest and the overcoming of the last is the conquering of the enemy, and the winning of the day.

7. Because I find that those that are assaulted with this temptation are usually men that must see reason for what they hold and if we can evince this, (which is far from being difficult, in regard of evidence), that Christ's great works and his disciples, were done by the Holy Ghost, and not by evil spirits, then I think we show the credibility and certainty of the christian religion, and that it hath evidence, and is as demonstrable as the nature of such a subject can bear.

8. And lastly, I do this because of the heinousness and dangerousness of this sin of infidelity, especially as against the Holy Ghost, it being thus the unpardonable sin, and the sin that fasteneth all other upon the soul: all these reasons have persuaded me to this work.

And for the two foregoing objections; the latter of them is

answered in my seventh reason, and is so unbeseeming the mouth of a true Christian, that I will not say against it what it deserves, because I know it will exasperate many that do befriend it; and as to the former, I say:

1. Christ himself, here in the text, hath put this occasion before me into people's minds, so that they cannot say, I raise occasions of doubting; they hear the Gospel read more commonly than they are like to read this discourse.

2. That faith stands but totteringly, that standeth only because men hear not what infidels say against it.

3. The common temptations of Satan, and vile reasonings of the apostates of this age, do show that these scruples are not unheard of; and that there is more need to mention them, that we may destroy them, than to silence them, that we may keep them from being known.

Sect. II.

Having said thus much, by way of preface, of the reason of my discourse, I come next to the opening of the text; and therein it is not so much my intent to determine what the sin against the Holy Ghost is, which divines commonly dispute of, as to tell you how it may be proved that the works of Christ and his disciples were not from Satan, but from the Holy Ghost, or the power of God.

Yet, because I would go upon clear grounds, and make the text as plain before us as I can, I shall say something of the nature of this sin against the Holy Ghost, though I have oft spoken of it already; and I shall crave the patience of those readers, who love not to be stopped in their way with men's names and judgments, while I yet make some mention of them for the sake of others, and I will do it somewhat briefly; and because the weight of the point, and great difference of men's judgments, will occasion me to mention the more of the ancients, I will meddle with the fewer of our latter expositors.

Text. "Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb; and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw."

1. Many wonder that there were so many in those days possessed with devils, seeing there are so few in these. Mr. Mead thinks that mad men went then among the possessed. Luther thought all mad men, or most, were possessed by the devil. However these hold, as there are some such yet amongst

us which we have known, so it is most certain, that what way soever that possession did appear, there were many such, not only then, but of many ages after, and are at this day, where the devil doth reign with the least contradiction. The true reason of the change is, because Christ hath mastered him and bound him up, and, in a sort, driven him out of his kingdom, so that he cannot do as before he did: of which we shall have occasion to speak more anon.

2. It was not deafness and dumbness that were the only evidences that this person was possessed, but these were concomitant effects.

3. The cure was done so suddenly, and without means, that caused that conviction which the next words import.

"And all the people were amazed, and said, Is this the Son of David?" (Ver. 23.) The evidence of God's power began to convince the less prejudiced and less hardened, that Christ was the Messiah.

"But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow (or he) doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils." (Ver. 24.)

1. The fact was so evident they could not deny it this, therefore, was the last refuge for their infidelity.

2. They supposed that by some contract with that ruling devil, he had power to cast out those that were inferior. Not only Calvin, Beza, Grotius, &c., but many of the ancients conclude, that among the devils there is a certain order, and one that is the chief, and in power above the rest. Not only those texts prove this that call him "The prince of the world, the prince of the powers of the air, &c. ;" (Eph. ii. 2; John xii. 31, xiv. 30, and xvi. 11;) but many others. He is here and elsewhere named Beelzebul or Beelzebub, that is, as is commonly interpreted, the god of flies, so called, as some think, by the Philistines, who supposed themselves freed by him from a plague of flies; or because of the flies that stuck on the blood of his sacrifices, as Haymo, and others; or in contempt by the Jews, as some think. Most suppose it is the same that is called Baal and Bel, and originally King Belus, as the said Haymo, (Hom. on Luke xi.). But Dr. Lightfoot saith, (Harmon. of the N. T., sect. 35,) the word Beelzebul was taken up for the more detestation 'as importing the god of a dunghill;' and the sacrificing to idols they called dunging to an idol.

If there be no sort of God's reasonable creatures without

order and government, no not the devils themselves, who have their prince, (and for angels our writers manifest it from many Scriptures,) what strange blindness is it in those men, that would only have the church without any order or government, and in this to be worse than the kingdom of Satan! That would have the people be both governed and governors by a major vote, and so properly have no governors at all! When yet they are convinced by experience, that no other political societies can be so guided or preserved: armies and commonwealths must have rulers all societies, all reasonable creatures in earth, or hell, or heaven, must have rulers and must the church only have none? As some say, no teachers in office: as others, those teachers have no power of government.

"And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself, how shall then his kingdom stand?" (Ver. 25, 26.)

1. Here it is supposed that Satan hath a kingdom which he is desirous to uphold, a house that he would fain keep, a work which he would fain carry on: of which more anon.

2. Christ argueth from an acknowledged principle, that dividing tends to destroying.

3. He supposeth Satan not to be ignorant of this principle, nor so loose to his own principles and wicked interest, as to be drawn against it to the destruction of his own kingdom; would we could say as much of many godly men, or seemingly godly, as to Christ's kingdom and interest. All this is most unquestionably true of which more anon.

4. Christ is said to know this in their hearts, though they spoke it with their mouths; because it was not to him that they spoke it, but to the people who began to be convinced by the greatness of the work.

5. It is not only this one conclusion, which he knew in their hearts, or which he fits his answer to, that this particular work was done by Beelzebub; but also that he himself was a friend of Satan's kingdom, and in a league with him, and did his work, and deluded men by magical power. And, therefore, Christ's following words, and these in this verse, do tend to clear him both in this fact, and in the main.

"And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges." (Ver.27.)

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