and proper; for we may be sure that when Satan threw down his poor vassal, he would have hurt, yea, killed him too, if Jesus, by an invisible but almighty agency, had not interposed to prevent it. There being many accounts of evil spirits cast out by our Lord, we shall not advert to every circumstance of this miracle, but endeavour to improve that parti- cular incident mentioned in the text ; viz. the request of Satan that Jesus would let him alone. In order to this we shall, I. State the grounds of Satan's request —
In acknowledging Jesus to be " the Holy One of God," Satan might be actuated by a desire to bring the character of Jesus into suspicion, as though they were in confederacy with each other ; or perhaps he wished to impress the people with an idea that none but madmen and demoniacs would make such an acknowledgment : but in requesting Jesus to let him alone he was instigated rather by his own fears —
1. He knew Jesus —
[Jesus was like any other poor man ; his own Disciples, except on some extraordinary occasions, did not appear ac- quainted with his real character. But Satan knew him, not- withstanding the lowly habit in which he sojourned among men. He knew Jesus to be the Son of God, who had left the bosom of his Father, that he might take our nature, and dwell amongst us. He was well aware that this Holy One must of necessity feel an irreconcileable aversion to such an " unclean spirit," such a wicked fiend as he was ; while at the same time there was no hope of prevailing against him either by fraud or violence. Hence he wished to be left to himself, and to be freed as much as possible from his interposition.]
2. He dreaded Jesus —
[It is not impossible but that Satan's expulsion from heaven might have arisen from his refusal to do homage to the Son of God. However this be, he well knew that Jesus was " the promised seed," who should ultimately " bruise his head." He had already been foiled in a conflict with this despised Nazarene, and had learned by experience the impossibility of resisting his command. Nor could he be ignorant that Jesus was to be his judge in the last day, when the full measure of his sins should be meted out to him, and his present miseries be greatly aug- mented. Hence, while he " believed, he trembled." Hence