"That the difpoffeffion of devils by Chrift, and the compulfive teftimony they bore him, ferved to clear him from all fufpicion of a confederacy with these infernal fpirits." For we have already had occafion to obferve, that though our Saviour fpeaks of the ejection of demons as an act of hoftility against them, fuch as it was not natural to refer to the prince of the demons; yet this hath no relation to the devil, (fee above, p. 16.) and was spoken to his adverfaries, merely upon their own principles, the only principles upon which he could argue with them. Differt, on Mir. p. 388. With regard to the teftimony which, it is faid, the demons were compelled to bear to Chrift, it hath been shewn, that it is not only groundless, but highly unreasonable, to fuppofe, that God should compel the devil to bear teftimony to Chrift, and then direct Chrift to reject it, and even to work a miracle upon that lying fpirit, that he might not difcredit the truth he had published. See above, p. 258. The abettors of the common hypothefis would do well to confider, whether it be a good way of clearing Chrift from all fufpicion of acting in concert with devils, to affirm, that these wicked fpirits were by him, or on his account, introduced into Judea, and that they were the first who proclaimed his divine character, though afterwards he en

nor

evil enjoyed an extraordinary the time of Chrift's coming world; much less did they atccount for his having fuch liallowed him, or fhew that it at it should be granted. Not reafons affigned for the devil's ne unusual proofs of his power iod, are taken notice of in the ament. The more weighty and

those reasons are supposed to uch the more difficult is it to for this filence. If it was even

that Chrift should exhibit a of his triumph over the devil, Teffing him from the bodies of w comes it to pass, that dif

n filence. On the other hand, underejection of demons as, I apprehend, it e underftood, concerning the miraculous lifeafe, and there will at once appear no nd for afcribing to the devil this, than miracle of the Gospel.

poffeffions

ftood their intention? Whenever God commiffions his meffengers to perform miracles for the conviction of mankind, he inftructs them to explain to the world the great ends propofed by them. This was the cafe with regard to all the prophets both of the Old and New Teftament. They never left it, nor could they fitly leave it, to human conjecture to determine for what purposes their miracles were wrought. Nor can we learn what thofe purposes were in any other method, than by the declarations of a prophet, or by the nature of the works themselves; and the latter will give us very little affiftance without the former. The filence of Scripture therefore concerning what is supposed to have been the grand and peculiar defign of the cure of demoniacs, is a fufficient reafon for rejecting it; unless it can be clearly and certainly inferred from the nature of the work itfelf, which

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entire reafoning we are now is built upon this falfe hypothat the fpirits, who were take poffeffion of mankind, or fallen angels. But we have t poffeffions were always reuch human fpirits, as were o be converted into demons; is only one devil, and that he mentioned in Scripture in any with the fubject before us. arguments therefore urged to propriety and neceffity of his ary agency in the age of the nd of Chrift's public triumph by expelling him from human militate against the Chriftian on; and if they proved any ould prove, that God ought to owed the devil a power, and Chrift a triumph, which were

ed.

C c

3. The

poffeffions were more frequent in the age of the Gofpel than at any other time: a fuppofition contradicted by all the monuments of antiquity. So that had it been true, that the Scripture had referred poffeffions to the devil, it would not have followed even from hence, that the devil gave any unusual proofs of his power at the commencement of the Chriftian æra.

4. Were it true, not only that the devil was the fpirit who poffeffed men's bodies, and that poffeffions were more frequent in the age of the Gofpel than any other; yet the cafes of reputed poffeffions defcribed in the Gofpel do not contain any convincing proof of the power and interpofition either of the devil or any evil spirit. The agency of demons, (whatever fpirits you understand hereby) it not an object of fight; their entrance into the human body falls not under the notice of any of our fenfes. There is not

therefore