demons were in our Saviour's time conceived to be the very fame perfons as

In the 33d verfe of the fame chapter, the angel fays, I went out to withstand thee, which in the original is, to be a fatan (1) or adverfary to thee. The word is also very frequently applied to men. Let not David go down with us to battle, (faid the princes of the Philiftines) left in the battle he be

a fatan, or adverfary to us, I Sam. xxix. 4What have I to do with you, ye fons of Zeruiab, that ye Should this day be a fatan, or adversary to me? 2 Sam. xix. 22. The Lord my God hath given me reft on every fide, fo that there is neither adverfary (1) nor evil occurrent, 1 Kings v. 4. See alfo 1 Kings xi. 14, 23, 25. Pfal. xxxviii. 20. Pf. lxxi. 13. Pf. cix. 4, 20, 29. In the New Teftament Chrift fays to Peter, Matt. xvi. 23. Get thee behind me, fatan, "You act rather as an enemy, than as a "friend, in diffuading me from fubmitting to fuf"ferings and death." St. Paul, in 2 Cor. xii. 7. fays, Left I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of fatan to buffet me. In the original it is not ἄγγελος τε σαλᾶν, “ the angel of Satan," but ayyeros qzräv, an angel fatan, or adverfary. The best commentators fuppofe, that the bodily affliction, or thorn in the flesh, here referred to, was fome paralytic symptom, called elfewhere the infirmity of the flesh, Gal. iv. 13. In confirmation of this opinion it may be obferved,

86

the

the devil and his angels, is it not very furprising, that the New Teftament in its original language, should always fpeak of the diseased perfons under confideration as poffeffed by a demon, or demons, and never by the devil, or devils? a word, as all must allow, that is never there applied to evil fpirits in the plural number, whatever its use may be in the fingular. I add, that inasmuch as Christ is here re

that the word colésia, used here in the original, is that by which both the New Teftament writers and the Greek physicians describe the palfy. This diforder seems to have been occafioned by the fplendor of his visions affecting the nervous system; and was purposely defigned by God, not merely to prevent a too great elation in the apoftle, but, by taking off from the gracefulness and energy of his delivery, to render the divine power more confpicuous in the fuccefs of his miniftry. It is impoffible that St. Paul should refer this diforder to the devil; he speaks of it as proceeding from God, or (which is the fame) his angel acting a part adverfary to the apoftle; to whom this difpenfation of divine Providence was exceedingly humiliating and painful, however wifely defigned by God.

plying to the Pharisees, and reasoning with them on their own principles, he cannot be supposed to speak of a different order of beings from what they did, Satan therefore must be equivalent to demon, in the fenfe in which demon was used by them, which will be explained hereafter. And fhould it then appear, that by demons and their prince they understood human fpirits, it will from hence follow, that Chrift cannot be speaking of fpirits of a celestial prigin.

Differt. on Mir. p. 388.

SECT.

SECT. II.

Prop. II. By demons, whenever the word occurs in reference to poffeffions, either in the Scriptures, or other ancient writings, we are to underftand, not fallen angels, but the Pagan deities, fuch of them as had once been men.

E have elsewhere" examined the

WE

meaning of demons, when applied to the objects of popular worship in the Heathen world; and fhewn from the united teftimony of Pagans and Jews; from the authors of the Septuagint verfion of the Old Testament, and from the writers of the New, that we are hereby to understand fuch human fpirits as fuperftition deified. We are now to inquire, whether the word be not used in the fame fenfe by all the ancients, when they speak upon the fubject of Pos

SESSIONS.

" Differt. on Mir. ch. iii. fect. 2.

C 3

I. With

་

I. With regard to the Heathens, it is well known, that they advanced human spirits to the rank of gods and demons; and that they judged them capable of entering the bodies of mankind, and of producing phrenfy and diftraction, which, as will be fhewn below, was regarded as the most usual effect of demoniacal poffeffion. Prophefying amongst the Heathens was attended with rage and madnefs *. Almost all their oracles belonged to that species of divination which was by fury, fuch as was imputed to the power and presence of their gods. And that these gods were deified men, appears from the oracles of Jupiter, the chief of all the prophetic divinities; of Apollo,

* Not only the Pythia at Delphi, but the Sibyls alfo fwelled with rage, and were befide themfelves. See Virgil. Æn. vi. 77. Quid vero habet auctoritatis furor ifte quem divinum vocatis, ut, quæ fapiens non videat, ea videat infanus; & is, qui humanos fenfus amiferit, divinos affecutus fit? Cicer. de Divinat. lib. ii. cap. 54

who,