Ohs. 2. From that tJiou chest ivell. It is good to own the least ap- pearance of good in men. So far it is well, saith the apostle. To commend that which is good is the ready way to mend the rest. This is a sweet art of drawing on men further and further : so far as it is good, own it : 1 Cor. xi. 2, with 17, ' In this I praise you/ saith Paul ; and again, 'In this I praise you not.' Jesus loved the young man for his moral excellency, Mark x. 21. It was a hopeful step. It is good to take off the scandal of being severe censurers, not to be always blaming. It reproveth them that blast the early bud- dings of grace, and discourage men as soon as they look toward religion by their severe rigour ; like the dragon that watched to ' destroy the man-child as soon as he was born,' Eev. xii. 4. The infant and young workings of grace should be dandled upon the lap of commendation, or, like weak things, fostered with much gentleness and care.
Ohs. 3. The devils assent to the articles of Christian religion. It cometh to pass partly through the subtlety of their natures — they are intellectual essences ; partly through experience of providences, sight of miracles. They are sensible of the power of God in rescuing men from their paws ; so that they are forced to acknowledge there is a God, and to consent to many truths in the scriptures. There are many articles acknowledged at once in Mat. viii. 29, ' Jesus, thou Son of Goc(, art thou come to torment us before our time ? ' They acknowledge God, Christ the Son of God, not in an ordinary adoptive way ; for it is. Luke iv., ' That thou art the Holy One of God ; ' then a day of j'udgment, which will occasion more torment to themselves and other sinners. And so you shall see Paul adjured the devil ' by the name of Christ,' Acts xvi. 18. And the devils answer the sons of Sceva, ' Paul I know, and Jesus I know ; but who are ye ? ' Acts xix. 15. They acknowledged that Jesus as the master, Paul as the
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242 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. IL 20.
pervant aud messenger, had mightily shaken their power and kingdom. {So it is said, Phil. ii. 10, ' Things under the earth ; ' that is, the devils who are turned into hell, which is rej^resented as a subterranean place, do ' bow the knee ' to Christ. Well, then, never rest in the devils' laith. Can the devils be justified or be saved H They believe there is a God, that there is a Christ, that Christ died for sinners. A Christian is to exceed and go beyond devils ; nay, beyond other men, beyond pagans ; nay, beyond hypocrites in the church ; nay, be- yond himself ; he must ' forget the things that are behind,' &c. Is it not a notable check to atheistical thoughts, Should I be worse than devils ? David said, ' I was as a beast before thee,' Ps. Ixxiii. 23 ; and Agur, Prov. xxx. 2, ' Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.' Whilst we go about to imgod God, we do but unman ourselves ; nay, worse, an atheist is not only a beast, but a devil. Christ called Judas ' devil,' John vi. 70. Nay, worse than devils : the devils are under the dread of this truth ; we are stupid, insensible of providence, careless of judgments, when ' the devils believe and tremble.' The Lord might well expostulate thus, ' Fear ye not me, 0 foolish people, that have no understand- ing?' Jer. V. 21,22.
Ohs. 4. Horror is the effect of the devils' knowledge : the more they Ivuow of God the greater trembling is there impressed upon them. They were terrified at a miracle, or any glorious discovery of Christ's ])Ower on earth : ' Art thou come to torment us before our time ? ' Well, then, hence you may collect— (1.) Light that yieldeth us no comfort is but darkness. The devils have knowledge left, but no comfort, therefore said to be ' held under chains of darkness,' Jude 6. 'f he more they think of God the more they tremble. It is miserable 1 0 have only light enough to awaken conscience, and knowledge enough to be self-condemned, to know God, but not to enjoy him. The <levils cannot choose but abominate their own thoughts of the Deity. Oh ! rest not, then, till you have gotten such a knowledge of God as yieldeth comfort : Ps. xxxvi. 9, ' In thy light shall we see light ; ' ihere is light in this light, all other light is darkness. (2.) All Icnowledge of God out of Christ is uncomfortable : that is the reason why the devils tremble ; they cannot know God as a father, but as a judge; not as a friend, but as an enemy. Faith looking upon God as a father and as a friend, yieldeth peace to the soul, Rom. v. 1 ; and ' fear is cast out, for fear hath torment in it,' 1 John iv. 18. This is the misery of devils and damned men and natural men, that they cannot think of God without horror ; whereas this is the great solace and comfort of the saints, that there is a God : Ps. civ. 34. '• My meditation of him shall be sweet ; ' and Cant. i. 3, ' Thy name is as an ointment poured out,' full of fragrancy and refreshing. Salt waters being strained through the earth Ijecome sweet. God's attributes, which are in themselves terrible and dreadful to a sinner, being derived to us through Christ, yield comfort and sweetness. The chil- dren of God can long for the day when Christ's appearance will be most terrible : ' Even so. Lord Jesus, come (|uickly.'