ever certain, whether these epithets were given them to express their personal dispositions, or only those. effects they were supposed to produce. The word evil* might be applied to a demon, on account of the pain and misery he was thought to create. And it is possible that demons might be called unclean, because persons under that melancholy and maniacal disorder, of which they were the reputed authors, avoided the society of men, and were continually defiling themselves with objects esteemed by the Jews unclean. This was the case of the man who lived amongst the tombst; by which he contracted the greatest pollution. Demons are called dumb spirits, and deaf § and dumb spirits. Were these demons thought to be themselves deaf and dumb? or only to make men so?

Пavnpos signifies infelix or miser, as well as improbus or malus. The nanos Sauv in Homer may denote an adverse, and not à wicked, demon, and be equivalent to Tuyɛjos daiwv, Odyss. lib. v. ver. 396. Compare the passage from Plutarch. de Orac. defect. p. 438, cited below.

† See Beausobre and Lenfant on Matt. x. 1. In Zechariah xiii. 2. God promises to cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. Here, as these learned writers observe, the spirit of the false prophets is called unclean, because these prophets or necromancers were supposed to receive their inspiration at sepulchres. I add, that it appears from the Talmud, that the Jews, when they were corrupted by the superstition of the heathens, resorted to sepulchres, where the souls of the departed were thought to remain, that an unclean spirit might descend upon them. The demons themselves, it was imagined, delighted in desolate places. Rev. xviii. 2. Compare Lightfoot's Hor. Hebraic. on Luke xiii. 11. Works, vol. ii. p. 442. Mark ix. 17. I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb

spirit.

§ Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee come out of him, ver. 25. Would

Would not the latter opinion be a sufficient reason for giving them these titles?

In the controversy concerning the gospel demoniacs, between Dr. Sykes and his opponents, it seemed to be taken for granted by both parties, that if demonswere evil spirits, they must of necessity be fallen angels. But if we allow that demons were considered: as evil spirits, it will by no means follow that they were regarded as beings originally of a higher order than mankind; as we have elsewhere shewn*. The Fathers of the church generally understood demon in an ill sense, and thought it was to be so taken in the: Scriptures †.

SECTION IV..

Prop. IV. Those persons who are spoken of as having demons, suffered real and very violent disorders, from whatever causes these disorders proceeded.

WHETHER reputed demoniacs were possessed by demons or not, they are ranked in the New Testament amongst those who suffered the most grievous distempers. St. Mathew ‡ having said in general terms, They brought to Jesus all sick people that were taken with DIVERS diseases and torments; then specifies the following

* Dissertation on Miracles, p. 204, 8vo, or p. 130, 12mo.

+ St. Austin de Civ. Dei, lib. ix. c. 19. Tertullian as cited there, i. e. Dissertation on Miracles, p. 548, 8vo, or 351, 12mo. Origen con. tra Cels. p. 234. Euseb. Præp. Evang lib. iv. c. 5.

† Ch. iv. 24. Παντας τις κακως εχοντας, ποικίλαις νοσος και βασανος συνεχομενως, και δαιμονιζομένες, και σεληνιαζομενος, και παραλυτικός.

particular

particular cases; even those who were possessed with demons, and those who were lunatic, and those who had the palsy. Here possessed persons, lunatics, and paralytics, though contra-distinguished from each other, are all equally comprehended under the sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments. On another occasion, the same evangelist says, They brought unto him many that were possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. This prophecy concerning Christ's taking our infirmities, and bearing our sicknesses, was accomplished in part by the cure of demoniacs; and therefore possessions are comprehended under infirmities and sicknessest, and consequently imply some disorder or distemper in the human frame, from whatever cause it might proceed.

The miracle wrought upon the demoniacs is often described in the same terms as that wrought upon the diseased; terms that necessarily imply their having. previously laboured under a real distemper. St. Matthew says equally concerning demoniacs, lunatics, and paralytics, He HEALED them. The same historian describes the cure of the daughter of a woman of Canaan, who was grievously vexed with a

* Matt. viii. 16, 17. Isa, liii. 4.

+ Τας ασθενείας, και τας νότες. Had not possessions been included under diseases, the mention of them would not have been omitted, Matt. xi. 5. See below, sect. x.

EOEрaπEUJEY AUrug, Matt. iv, 24.

demon,

A

demon, by saying that she was MADE WHOLE *. great multitude of people, says St. Luke, came to be · healed of their diseases; and they that were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed. At another time he tells us that Christ CURED many of their infirmities, and plagues, and evil spirits. In describing the miracle wrought upon demoniacs, the evangelists say indifferently, Christ expelled the demon, or, that he healed the demoniac §. From hence it appears, that a real disorder was cured, whenever Christ is represented as ejecting a demon. Amongst the Greeks and Romans, also, as well as amongst the Jews, those persons who were thought to be possessed suffered grievous distempers. This will appear with the fullest evidence in the two following sections, where we are particularly to explain the nature of those distempers which were imputed to possessions. All that we mean here to affirm, is, that demoniacs were afflicted with certain distempers, whether the possession of demons was the real, or only the reputed cause of them. It was indeed from the well-known appearances and

Ian, Matt. xv. 28.

† EspaπEUONTO, Luke vi. 18.

† Εθεράπευσε πολλές απο μέσων και μαστίγων και πνευματων πονηρών. Luke vii. 21. In ch. viii. 2. we read of certain women which had been healed of evil spirits. See also Act. v. 16.

$ Concerning the epileptic youth, it is said, Thy disciples could not (DepaπEurai) cure him, Matt. xvii. 16. The demon departed out of him; and the child was cured (10ɛp¬πivon) from that very hour, v. 18. In Luke ix. 42, it is said, Jesus healed the child. See also Matt. viik 16, 17. just now cited, where Christ's bearing away our sicknesses includes the cure of possessions, as well as of other diseases.

symptoms

symptoms of certain diseases, that the antients inferred that the patients were possessed.

SECTION V.

Prop. v. The particular disorders which the antients, whether heathens or Jews, ascribed to the possession of demons, were such only as disturbed the understanding.

Το

prepare the way for the proof of this proposition, it is necessary to observe that we are carefully to distinguish, though the distinction hath not been attended to, between diseases supernaturally inflicted, and possessions. The antient Heathens attributed diseases, not only those attended with extraordinary symptoms, (as Dr. Sykes* apprehended,) but diseases in general, to the anger of the immortal gods t; and accordingly from them sought for relieft. Sick persons advised with their priests and prophets, as we now do with our physicians; and expected to be restored to health by lustrations and charms, without the use of natural remedies, except such as were suggested by the gods. They did not, however, represent all persons whom the gods or demons visited with diseases, as having those gods or demons within them, which was supposed to be the case with all demoniacs.

* Inquiry, p. 6.

+ Morbos tum ad iram deorum immortalium relatos esse, et ab iisdem opem posci solitam. Celsus, lib. i. præfat.

See Young on Idolatry, vol. ii. p. 85.

When