SERM. which in him we can't help blaming as XV. Weakness, muft in any one now, who knows

his Story, be looked on as Wilfulness, and refolved Infidelity. Let us therefore confider, that what in Thomas might appear to be Want of Evidence, will in any modern Unbeliever appear to be Want of a good Dif pofition. And therefore, to conclude, let me earneftly exhort you to be careful, That the Trial of your Faith, being much more precious than of Gold that perisheth, though it be tried with Fire, may be found unto Praise, and Honour, and Glory, at the appearing of Jefus Chrift. Whom having not feen, ye love; in whom, though now ye fee him not, yet believing ye rejoice with Joy unspeakable, and full of Glory: Receiving the End of your Faith, even the Salvation of your Souls, 1. Pet. i. 7, 8, 9. In order to which, Do thou,

O Almighty and Everliving God, who for the more Confirmation of the Faith didst fuffer thy holy Apostle Thomas to be doubtful of thy Son's Refurrection; grant us so perfectly, and without all Doubt, to believe in thy Son Jefus, & Chrift, that our Faith in thy Sight may

never be reproved: Hear us, O Lord, s ERM. through the fame Jefus Chrift, to whom XV. with thee, and the Holy Ghost, be all Honour and Glory, now and for evermore. Amen.

SERMON XVI.

Madness the Effect of a Diabolical Poffeffion.

MATTH. xvii. 14, 15, 18.

There came to Jefus a certain Man kneeling down to him, and faying, Lord, bave Mercy on my Son, for he is Lunatick, and fore vexed; for oft-times he falleth into the Fire, and oft into the Water. And Jesus rebuked the Devil, and he departed out of him, and the Child was cured from that very Hour.

I

HAVE chosen these Words, not with
Defign to enlarge upon the Power and

Goodness, which our Saviour displayed in working the Miracle recorded in them; but for the fake of one particular Circumftance, the Manner, I mean, in which he wrote it. A certain Man brought his Son that had a Lunacy, accompanied with a Falling Sickness, to be healed by him; and our Saviour cures him

by

by rebuking the Devil, and forcing him to de-s ERM. part from him: From whence I would en- XVI. deavour to fecond an Opinion of a very pious,

and profoundly learned Divine * of our Church, which feems to have a great deal of Scripture, Reason, and Antiquity on it's Side, and yet is but flenderly discoursed on by himself, and not fo much as mentioned, as I know of, by any other of our modern Writers.

The Opinion is this; That the Demoniacks, or, Perfons poffeffed by the Devil, which we read of in the Gospel, many of whom our Saviour cured, were no other than fuch as we call Lunaticks or Madmen; and that their Madness proceeded then, as I fuppofe the Disorder of Madmen to do now, from the Poffeffion of fome Devil, or wicked Spirit. For is it not ftrange, upon any other Suppofition, that these Demoniacks fhould fo abound in that Nation, which was the peculiar People of God, and that too more particularly at a Time when our Bleffed Lord was on Earth; that they should be fo frequent and common, as to be looked on then as not strange and extraordinary, but as Things that happened every Day; and yet that now, and for many Ages paft, fuch People are scarce ever heard

* MEDE, Difc. vi. p. 28.

of

SERM, of or known, except in a Church where they XVI. are fometimes pretended, for the Sake of pre

tended miraculous Cures? This being the Cafe, may we not fuppofe, that fuch Demoniacs as our Saviour healed, may exist even now, though not fo much attended to by us, becaufe expreffed by different Names? For it often happens that the fame Things, reprefented to us under different Notions, and different Names, are not taken to be the fame they are. Just as one who meets his Friend in a foreign Drefs, or antick Disguise, takes him to be some other Man, though he knew him ever fo well before. I would therefore fuppofe, that the Scripture Demoniacks, the poffeffed or Energumeni of the Antients, were juft fuch as we call Madmen ; and confequently, that our Madmen and Lunaticks, are fuch as our Saviour difpoffeffed. This is the Notion I intend for the Subject of my present Difcourfe And in treating of it, I will fhew, what Grounds we have to fuppofe this Notion to be a true one; which I will do,

I. First, By confidering what the Holy Scriptures have delivered concerning it: And, II. Secondly, By giving you the Opinion of the antient Jews and Gentiles, and primitive Chriftians on the Cafe.

I. First,