SERM. which in him we can't help blaming as
XV. Weakness, must 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 Un-
believer 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 pre-
cious 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 didft fuffer thy holy Apostle Thomas to be doubtful of thy Son's Refurrection; grant us fo perfectly, and without all Doubt, to believe in thy Son Jesus Chrift, that our Faith in thy Sight may

never be reproved: Hear us, O Lord, SER M. through the fame Jefus Chrift, to whom XV. with thee, and the Holy Ghoft, be all Honour and Glory, now and for everAmen.

more.

SERMON

SERMON XVI.

Madness the Effect of a Diabolical Poffeffion.

MATTH. xvii. 14, 15, 18.

There came to Jesus a certain Man kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have Mercy on my Son, for he is Lunatick, and fore vexed; for oft-times be 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 chofen 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 Gofpel, 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 strange, upon any other Suppofition, that these Demoniacks should so 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

SER M. of or known, except in a Church where they XVI. are sometimes pretended, for the Sake of pre

tended miraculous Cures? This being the Cafe, may we not suppose, that fuch Demoniacs as our Saviour healed, may exift 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. Juft as one who meets his Friend in a foreign Dress, or antick Disguise, takes him to be some other Man, though he knew him ever fo well before. I would therefore suppose, 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,