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ed to be poffeffed by him *) faid, know, and Paul I know; but who The hiftorian adds, And the whom the evil Spirit was, leapt em, and overcame them". Before nt, St. Paul, for the space of two had cured all forts of difeafes, and demons, in the name of Jefus, at : how then could this demoniac rant either of Jefus or Paul? er, the demoniac finding that cerifh impoftors vainly pretended to er of expelling demons, and fancyelf to be a demon, or poffeffed by ndignation and rage (accelerating on of his blood and spirits,) fupa with new ftrength, and he af ad vanquished the exorcifts, who prepared to make a defence, and

ave here a new proof, that the demon = is fometimes put for the demoniac. •. 250, &c..

x. 10-17.

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detection of their impofture. The difappointment and difgrace of these magicians ferved to vindicate the credit of St. Paul's miracles, to create an high reverence of Jefus, in confirmation of whofe divine authority they were performed, and to deter others from profaning his facred name, by using it only as a charm *.

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* Hence it appears, that if this demoniac was affifted by a fupernatural power, this affiftance must have proceeded from God, not from the evil Ipirit, who could have no other aim, that to leffen the credit both of our Saviour and his apostle. Nor could a display of the power of the demon on this occafion, produce any other effect, than creating a fufpicion in the people, that Jefus and Paul were confederates with himself. If with this malicious view, he was willing to bear teftimony to Chrift, what occafion was there for being compelled to bear it by God? and would God favour his malicious views. The occurrence related, feems to have been providentially defigned to bring difgrace upon the Jewish exorcifts, and thereby to anfwer the purposes mentioned above,

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more carefully I examine the lannd behaviour of the New Teftaemoniacs, the more difficult doth r to me to draw from them a proof eality of demoniacal poffeffions. t difcover in them clear and cerks of the interpofition of any fugents, much less of infernal fpirits, tainly could have no great zeal to he honour of their enemy and

In a word, if you will afcribe duct of the demoniacs to the ›f demons, you must allow that r acted out of character, and were s the demoniacs themselves could

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A Farther argument in favour of real

poffeffions is taken from the deftruction of the herd of fwine, which the demons are faid to have entered, and stimulated to inftantaneous madnefs". This cafe is confidered by fome as a decifive proof of the power of demons, both over the human and brutal race, and is thought éven to have been purpofely defigned by Providence, to convince us of this principle, and to refute the oppofite opinion.

To enervate this argument, Dr. Sykes fuggefted, and Dr. Lardner' ftrenuously contended, that the fwine were frighted by the two madmen, and fo driven down the precipice into the fea. On the other hand, the advocates of the common hypothefis

Mat. viii. 30. Mark v. 11. Luke viii. 32.
Inquiry, P. 52.

"Cafe, p. 17, 101. and Remarks on Dr. Ward,

p. 17.

upon it, (to my apprehenfion, with reafon,) that it was impoffible for men, however fierce, to put fo vast a of fwine as two thousand into mon an inftant, and to cause them all to with violence down a precipice into ea; fwine, contrary to the nature of other animals, running different when they are driven. But this of the controversy might well be d; it not appearing from the hiftory, the men ever fell upon the herd, or any attempt to drive them into the Nay, the hiftory exprefly refers their uction to a different caufe from the viour of the madmen.

› understand the true ftate of the which doth not feem to have been ded to by the writers on either fide

Not to add, that it was next to impoffible, hese two men fhould overcome all those who the fwine; especially as, in order to compass rd, they must have separated from each other. deed had they, under the influence of their er, driven the fwine into the fea, it is strange id not follow them there,

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