II. The insufficiency of all created power to eject Satan — None but that stronger man, the Lord Jesus, has ever been able to prevail against " the strong man armed :" Till attacked by the Lord Jesus, " Satan keepeth his goods in peace :" He defies,
1. All false religions —
[Go back to the clays of old ; What was effected by any of the philosophers of Greece or Rome ? They did not even themselves experience a sanctifying efficacy from their own doctrines : and much less did they prevail to destroy the power of Satan in the hearts of their disciples. Look at the votaries of Pagan idolatry, or Mahometan delusion: What evidence do they shew that their principles have made them victorious over Satan ? We may safely affirm, that the very means which they use for obtaining the Divine favour, serve only to rivet on them more forcibly those chains of Satan wherewith they are bound ]
2. A nominal profession of the true religion —
[The Lord Jesus did, for wise and gracious purposes, suffer many to " cast out devils in his name," whom yet he will banish from his presence in the day of judgment, and exclude for ever from his heavenly kingdom0. But never did any person cast out Satan from his heart by merely naming the name of Christ. We need only look on the Christian world, and we shall see how little a mere profession of Chris- tianity can effect. The generality of Christians are in reality little better than baptized heathens. There are some few points of morality in which they may differ from the heathen ; but in all the more common sins, of pride, lewdness, covetous- ness, together with the whole band of spiritual and fleshly lusts, they are as much enslaved by them as any heathen can be. In proof of this, we need not cast our eyes on others : we need only inspect the workings of our own hearts, and we shall have abundant evidence of this melancholy truth ]
3. All self-righteousness or self-confident exer- tions—
[To these men generally resort in the first instance, when they desire to overcome this wicked fiend. But he derides their efforts as weak and vain : he well knows that human power, however strenuously exerted, will prove only like Elisha's staff, which could not re-animate the breathless corpse
0 Matt. vii. 22, 23.