Sermon 27

(Mark 7:30) And when she had come to her house, she found the Devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

Because I hasten to an end, and shall not now refute the dream of Papists from this collecting the lawfulness of their bastard confirmation, and of confirming children, by the unhallowed blessing of the Prelate; only observe the case of the child; Mark says, [in non-Latin alphabet] Cast, in a violent manner, in a bed: for this is not to be a bed of rest and security, as some Papists collect, but to express how violent Satan is in his last farewell, as when he is to be cast out (Mark 9:20). When the possessed child is brought to Jesus, and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tore him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming: the Devil and the unclean spirits are not thrown out of a person, or land, but they must rage and foam. 1. The Lord says (Zechariah 13:2), I will cut off the names of idols out of the land, and they shall be no more remembered; and I will cause the prophets, and the unclean spirits to pass out of the land; but this cannot be done but with great violence (verse 3). The father and the mother shall thrust through with a sword the false prophet, even their own son, before he be put out of the land: the Devil will not be removed without blood, sweating and great violence; when the unclean spirits of men given to curious arts, and the idol Diana is preached down in Ephesus (Acts 19:18), that whole great city was full of wrath, and they cry out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. 19. And the whole city was filled with confusion. When Christ comes to the crown and the throne; Jews and Gentiles, the kings and rulers of the earth, Herod and Pilate with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel are gathered together (Acts 4:25-27). The word (Psalm 2:1), [in non-Latin alphabet] Rageshu, it is to make a great tumult, as a furious multitude gathered together, that makes a noise as the noise of a troubled sea; therefore some, not without reason, say the sons of Zebedee are called [in non-Latin alphabet] Benairegesci, Sons of Thunder. Luke in Acts 2 uses the word after the 70, [in non-Latin alphabet]: which Budeus expounds of fierce and wild horse; and certainly Christ is crowned upon Mount Zion with garments rolled in blood, this is a spoiling of, and a triumphing over principalities and powers, Christ dyed the black cross with red blood, when he performed this noble act of redemption (Colossians 2:14-15). So when Christ enters in any soul to dwell, there he must first bind the Devil, and then spoil his house (Matthew 12:29). What wonder is it, that multitudes of heresies and sects, and many blasphemous and false ways arise now, when the Lord is to build up Zion: Satan, when Christ is to sail, and his kingdom a coming kingdom (as we pray), raises up storms and winds in the broad lake of brimstone to drown the church of God. Christ has not fair weather when he goes to sea (Matthew 8:23-24). Yet his journey is lawful: when Christ is upon acts of his priesthood, and stands at the great high altar with his censer of gold, to offer up the prayers of the saints to God, he casts fire with the same censer down upon the earth, and there be then thunderings, lightnings, and earthquakes; and hence follows terrible judgments upon the earth, as hail, fire mingled with blood, and a mountain burning with fire, and the third part of the sea becomes blood, and a clear burning star, like a lamp, called Wormwood, making the third part of the waters bitter, does fall from heaven, which is as much as when Christ is upon acts of mercy toward his people; pestilent heresies of the Popish clergy and others, darkens the third part of the sun and moon; that is, of the light of the gospel (Revelation 8:1-12). Even as when our Lord Jesus stands to intercede for the people, and to pray for fallen Jerusalem, which is as a firebrand plucked out of the fire: Satan stands at his right hand, his working hand to hinder him (Zechariah 3:1-3). 2. This resolves to many their state; many are free of the Devil: I thank God (says one) I know not Satan, nor any of his works: I have peace; Satan did never tear me, nor cause me to fall to the earth, nor does he torment me: but this is a fearful condition. 1. It is an argument of a false peace: when the strong man is within, the house is in peace: not to be tempted of the Devil, is the greatest temptation out of Hell; and if there be any choice of Devils, a raging and a roaring Devil is better than the calm and sleeping Devil. When the Devil is within, he sleeps and is silent, and the house or soul he is in, is silent, and there is a covenant with death and Hell (Isaiah 28:15). Now Hell keeps true to a natural man for a time, cessation of arms between the soul and Satan is security for a time, but it is not peace: the Devil's war is better than the Devil's peace; carnal hypocrisy is a dumb and silent thing, but it is terrible to be carried to Hell without any noise of feet. The wheels of Satan's chariot are oiled with carnal rest, and they go without rattling and noise; the Devil carries few to hell with shouting, and crying, suspect dumb holiness; when the dog is kept out of doors, he howls to be in again; the covenant of Satan to Eve (sin and you shall not die) stands with all men by nature, till Jesus Christ breaks peace between us and Satan. 2. Contraries meeting, such as hot and dry fire, and cold and moist water, they conflict one with another, and where Satan finds a sanctified heart, he tempts with much importunity, as at one time, Christ finds three mighty temptations, and he departs from him only, [in non-Latin alphabet], for a little time. Where there is most of God and of Christ, there there is strong injections and firebrands cast in at the windows, as some of much faith has been tempted to doubt; Is there a deity that rules all, and where is he? We see him not; another is often assaulted with this, Is there a heaven for saints? Is there a Hell for devils and wicked men: we never spoke with a messenger come from any of these two countries. A third is troubled with this: Such a business I have to carry out, whether God will or not. The flower of the soul, the high lamp of the light of the mind is frequently darkened with foggy and misty spirits, coming up from the bottomless pit, and darkening any beams and irradiations of light that comes from the sun of righteousness. Faith is more assaulted than any other grace: Satan shakes other graces; but this is winnowed between heaven and earth (Luke 22:31-32). Satan's first arrow shot at Christ, labors to put a terrible (if) upon his light: If you be the Son of God. It is as much, as if God be God, if the Son of God be the Son of God: it is not the evidence and certainty of fundamentals, nor the strength of grace that privileges souls from Satan's shafts; strength of saving light, puts the saints often under the gunshot of Satan, that he may find a shot of them; there is only law-surety against temptations up in heaven, when you are over score out of time, within eternity's lists, never until then. 3. Not to be troubled thus, argues a house not watched, the gates are open night and day, as the gates of Hell, that want key and lock; and the soul so secure, as the person sees not what Devils come in, what go out: but the watch set by God's fear, examines all messengers that comes in, all motions, all suggestions, all angels, white and black, all rises, falls, ebbings and flowings of love, joy, desire, fear, sorrow, come under search, and scrutiny, From where come you, from Heaven or Hell? It is time of war with the saints in this life: and then all cities keep watch, and strangers without a pass are examined, searched and tried, what correspondence they have with the enemy. 4. God's way of hardening by Satan is often mysterious, silent, dumb and speaks not (John 9:39). For judgment I come into this world: but what a judgment? Such as walks in the dark, and kills in a midnight sleep, That they that see may be made blind: this judgment speaks not. O terrible, God has put out the man's two eyes; but how, or when, he cannot tell; the nerves and eye-strings of the man's soul are broken, but there was not a crack nor any noise heard, when God snapped them in two pieces. Christ came when the man was sleeping, and his sergeant the Devil with him, and put his hand on his heart and gave the lock, the sprents, and wards of the heart a throw and a crook, and all the keys in heaven and earth cannot shut or open his heart, and this was done without noise or pain, the man was never put to his bed for the business; the conveyance of the business was spiritual, but invisible. O sleeping world, awake out of your rotten and false peace: Oh, the Lord binds men, and they cry not: and the Devil binds many, and they cry not; Pharaoh knew not when his heart was hardened, the conscience saw it not, even as a stone grows in the bladder without our sense of it: the business was transacted without one cry, or any witness. Carnal, hellish security is dumb-born: Let my child sleep (says the Devil) and wake him not, till the heat of the furnace of Hell melt away his false peace. Why? but men may be deluded, having no bands in their death, as they lived deluded? Wrath and justice are moving to many souls sleeping in death, without noise of feet, the sword of God is crying to souls without any voice; the wheels of the fiery chariots of God's indignation are moving over slain men in Scotland and England without the rattling or prancing of the horses. O pity, a tempest, a Devil comes and steals away the man's soul, and his conscience out of him in the night, and he knows not: Christ says, Silence, wake him not, until he be over ears in the lake; and Satan says, Wake him not while I be sure of him; a dumb judgment is twice a judgment.

FINIS.