Reeds, and that ſmoaking Flax into Vitory; until ſuch Souls be made perfet in Faith and Holinefs, and ſhall have got a Vickery over all irs Unbelief and other Corruprions. Or, uncil he hath brought forth Condemnation unto Victory ; (fer ſo the word ſ1gnifcrh) rill he hach Conquered De1th and Hell; fo as there ſhall be no Condemnation to any Soul rhat is 10 Chriſt Jeſus, R277; 8.1. Or, Until the la Judgment comes 3 Which ſhall derermine in 2 pertect Abtolution, and Acquiral of all his People, and in a perfect ViRtory over all his Encmics. ;
21 And in his name ſhall the gentiles truſt.
' This makes ſome think , that the bringing of Judgment into Vieto;y, referreth to the fioal Deſtruction of the Jews by the Rc- mans ; after which the Gentiles came more univertaliy to reccive che Goſpel. Tho? Chriſt be mech and gentle. with Men 2 lons rime, while there is any Hope of chcir Reformation: yer he will nor be ſo meek and patient always : Neither was he fo with the
ews : Bur the falling of them proved the riſing of the Gentiles. Chriſt is beholden to no People for bearinz the Name cf his Church ; it che Fews fail in their Duty. they ſhall he caſt off. and in his Name ſhall the Gentiles tru, cd is able ot Sconces to raiſe up Children unto Abraham. 1/xiah ſaith, The Iles ſhall wait for Þis Law; his Law both of Faithand Holineſs thall be acceptable ro the Gentiles, The term Law; here ſeemerh to expound thar Phraſe, V. 18, He ſhall ſhew Judgment to the Gentiles ; that is, rishr things ; he ſhall give them his Law.
22*Then was brought unto him one poſieſſed with a devil, blind and dumb: and he healed him, info- much thar the blind and dumb both ſpake and ſaw.
Some think this Perſon was the ſame mentioned, Zh. 11. 14. [ preſume, becauſe the following Diſcourſe rhere is much the ſame with what followeth kere ; bur others are of another mind . and ir 15certain Luke ſpeaketh of no Blindneſs in him. We heard betore a Diſcourſe of 1uch as were poſſeſſed by Devils, 1o as this Verſe affords nothing new.
23 And all the people were amazed, and ſaid, Is not this the ſon of David 2
This is the firſt Conviction we mec with from the Miracles wrought by our Saviour, that he was the Meſſiah; unleſs that of the two blind Men, mentioned Inrtth. 9.27, And their Faith In ir appears bur weak, for they do nor plainly atfirm ir, only ask the Queſtion , like the Faith of thoſe mentioned 7oh. 7. 31. _ Chris cometh , will he do more Miracles than this Man hath
one :
24. But when the Phariſees heard 2 , they ſaid, This fe//ow doth not eaft out devils, but by Beelze-
bub the prince of the devils.
We mer with the ſame Blaſphemous Calumny from the ſame Perſons, chap. 9. 34. The Phariſees not acknowledging rhe Deiry of Chriſt, nor that he was the Meſſtah, were for their Intereſt concerned, not to acknowledge, and as much as in them Jay, ro keep others trom believing, that he did that trom his own Power, which God alone could do. Bur yer they might have. allowed him to have, by a Power derived trom God,done thele miraculous Things, as Elijah and Eliſha of old did. Bur they Blaſpheme at rhe higheſt Rate imaginable, afſcribing that to the Devil, which was proper to God alone. Chriſt's 2{iracles were exceeding many, and it was a time when the Meſſtth was expeted. The Sceptor was departed from Fudah; and as it appears trom 7oh. 7. 31, (whatever the Jews now ſay impudently,) they heard chat when the Mefſtah did come , he ſhould work many Miracles, Theſe things puts them into a Rage. This remarkable Piece of Hiſtory 1s recorded by three Evangeliſts. By Matthew in this place, by Mark, chap. 3. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 47, 28, 29,30. and by Lute, chap. 11. 17,18, 19, 20.
25 And Jeſus knew their thoughts, and ſaid rnto them. Every kingdom divided againſt it ſelf, is brought to deſolation ; and every city or houſe di- vided againſt it ſelf, ſhall not ſtand.
26 And if Satan caſt out Satan , he is divided againſt himſelf, how {hall then his kingdom ſtand ?
This 15 our £5r4's firſt Argument, Mark relates ir, chap. 3. 23; 24, 25, 26. With little Alteration in the Phraſe; fo doth Lube, chad.11. 17, 18. The Sum of the Argument is, The Devil is /o wiſe that he will Ihok to the ny .liing of iis "own Kingdom in the World, This will require as Azreement ct the Devils amongſt themſelves; tor it they be divided, they cannor uphold their Kingdom, nor ſtand, any more than an Houſe, Ciry, or Kingdom 1n the World fo divided can ſtand ; rheretcre the Prince of Devils will nor forcibly caſt our the 1reriour Devils. There 15 bur one imaginable Objection to this, Ds we nur tee the con- trary to this in People's going ro Cunnng-Hen, for help avainſt thoſe that are Gewitched, to zer help tor rnem; and 1s there no Truth in thoſe many Stories we have of Perſons char have tound help againſt the Devil, from ſome thar fave Traded with the Devil? I Anſwer; Ir 1s one thing for the Devils ro Play one wich another, another thing for chem to Caſt our one another, One Devil may yield, and give place to another, for co gain a greater Advantage for the whole Society ; bur one never quar- rclleth with another. The firſt may be for che inlarging of Satan's Rinzdom ; this muſt be ro deſtroy ir. When a poor wretched- Creature goech to one wao dealeth wich the Devil tor help for one who is vexed with ſome effe& of the Devil ; one Devil here doth but yield, and give place to another by Compa@, voluntarily , and for the Devil's greater Advanrage ; for it is more Advantaze to the Devil ( who ſceks nething ſo much as a Divine Homage )) t© zain the Faich of one Soul, than to Exerciſe a Power to Afi many Bodies. In tfuch Cafes as theſe, the Devil, for the Abaremenr of a lictle Bodily Pain, gains 2 Power over the Soul of him cr her who cometh to implore h's
Help, and exerciſerha Faith in him, This 15 ar Eſtabiſhing, Prc- MOYINg,
Chap. X11.
"Soo Cl Wb: Go 32
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