Second part of Sermon XXIV. for the
Third Sunday in Lent.
Ephesians v. 1-14. St.
Luke xi. 14-28.
Then goeth he,
and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than
himself; and they
enter in and dwell there; and the last state of
that man is worse
than the first." —
St. Luke.
xi. 26.
(for the first part, on the Epistle.)
And now let us come to the subject of
the Gospel for to-day. The account is as follows: Jesus was casting out a
devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the
dumb spake and the people wondered. They were “amazed,” says St. Matthew,
and ready to acknowledge the promised “Son of David;” it was but natural for an
unbiassed mind to do so. But with others the door of the heart was shut against
conviction by envy or some other evil passion. But some of them—the Scribes,
says St. Mark, who had come down from Jerusalem,—said, He casteth out devils
through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. And others tempting Him, sought of
Him a sign from Heaven. To the former, who thus suggested to the people
that He must be in league with the devils, our Lord meekly showed that it
evidently could be nothing else but the mighty power and presence of God.
But He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against
itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falleth.
This is a common proverb, and of course it must be the case. If Satan also
be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say, that I
cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by
whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I
with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God is come upon
you. It is allowed, even among yourselves, that to cast out evil spirits
can only be by the wonderful power of God and in His Name: and it is impossible
for you to resist the plain inference that the Kingdom of God is come. When
a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace; but when a
stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all
his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. A strong man, with
his soldiers, may keep quiet possession of a palace in which he has lodged
himself; but if he is cast out of that possession, and is forced to quit his
hold, surely it is obvious that it must be by means of one stronger than
himself. If Satan is overcome and dislodged from the soul or body of any man,
it can be by no other than by the Spirit or Finger of God Himself. And now,
therefore, this being clear, no other alternative remains to you, but that you
must take part either with Me or with Satan. He that is not with Me is
against Me, and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth.
Then occurs in St. Luke's Gospel that
short warning of the relapsed penitent, which I have considered as the peculiar
lesson of this day; it is one of such fearful interest, that, perhaps, nothing
can be found to equal it in the whole of the Scriptures, so does it, in a few
simple words, lift up the veil from the unseen world around us, showing us what
our condition is, and telling us why we are so liable to a relapse, to fall
again into a sin once admitted, and why, if this happens, it is so difficult to
recover. Our Lord had first called attention to this point, that if Satan be
driven out; this can only be by the power of God; therefore, to attribute it to
anything else is without excuse. But now, what awful consequences follow from
this, for if God alone can drive out an evil spirit, it is nothing but the
protection of God which will keep him out, and if that protection is withdrawn,
he will assuredly return. We know what watchfulness is necessary in every one
that has repented of past sin, and how liable he is to fall into it again
without constant care; our Lord has, in a very fearful manner, explained to us
how this is. He says, When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he
walketh through dry places, seeking rest, i.e. the evil spirit wanders
about, as one in search of that rest which the wicked seek in vain. In the
meanwhile, the penitent, whom he seems to have left for a time, is perhaps
refreshed and comforted by religion; the terrors from which he has escaped with
much suffering, urge him to earnest prayer and communion with God. But at
length he again becomes careless, and the love of that sin still lies hidden at
the bottom of his heart, and that heart is more and more unguarded. This his
great enemy knows, and again returns to tempt him; looking upon him as already
his own, his own house, on account of his former possession. Then saith the
evil spirit, after seeking for rest, and finding none, I will return unto my
house, whence I came out. Oh, the fearful words, “my house!” And how does he
find it? is it guarded on all sides and watched, with every avenue closed
against so deadly an enemy? Not at all so. The door is open to invite him in.
It is “empty,” as St. Matthew says; the man is idle in the things of religion;
no earnest prayers, no alms, or fasting. Nay, more, he findeth the house
swept and garnished for the evil spirit; it not only invites him in, it is
all prepared for his return, and furnished for such company. So that the
unclean spirit is not content to enter in alone. Then goeth he and taketh to
him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and dwell
there; continue to abide in the man for ever. There is now no repentance,
no amendment, no change, no remorse. He was once held by one chain, now by
seven. Instead of the seven graces of God's good Spirit, there are the seven
deadly sins. And the last state of that man is worse than the first. The one
sin of youth, if it returns and gains the mastery in after-life, eats out the
very heart of religion, and a man, after such relapse, becomes indifferent to
God's grace altogether; covetousness, envy, pride, and other sins lodge in his
heart, make themselves a very part of it.
Thus our Lord informs us of
circumstances in our probation which none but Himself could have told; the
effect we know full well of an evil habit returning, but we did not know the
spiritual causes of it. And this, which our Lord here describes as the one
unclean spirit returning with seven others, is, in another manner, expressed in
the Epistle to the Hebrews: “It is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of
the Holy Ghost, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance:”
[Heb. vi. 4, 6] and alluded to by St. Peter: “It were better for them not to
have known the way of truth, than, after they had known it, to turn away.”
To revert once more to the subject of
the Epistle for the day. I observed that we should read it, on this occasion,
by the light of the Gospel, wherein our Lord warns us, in so impressive a
manner, of the effect of the evil spirit, once cast out, again returning. St.
Paul, in the passage referred to, may be supposed to explain all those matters
in our conduct, wherein our danger will lie of such a relapse. “I will return
into my house whence I came out,” says the evil spirit; on which words an
ancient writer of our country, the Venerable Bede, says, “this verse is to be
feared, not to be explained.” And he thinks that a great aggravation of evil in
this return of the unclean spirit with seven others more wicked, is apt to be,
that it is accompanied with some false appearance of religion, a self-deceiving
hypocrisy, by which the conscience is lulled into a false security. It may be
observed that darkness is the word so much applied to it; this darkness implies
an ignorance of our own true condition,—this is the great object of the prince
of darkness. This deceivableness and darkness of a state of sin is the subject
on which the Epistle especially dwells.
Now, our Lord distinctly says that
the unclean spirit enters, on such a relapse, with “seven,” that is, with many
others, and takes up in the man his sure and permanent abode.
It is not to be supposed that the man
to whom this happens is at all aware of it; he goes on as usual about his
business or his pleasure; eats, and drinks, and sleeps, and converses, as other
men, nay, with more freedom and ease of speech. When, therefore, does he come
to know it? I ask in simple earnestness, as of a truth of which Christ assures
us. When does he come to know it? When does the evil spirit within him allow
him to know it, and bring the fact fully to his knowledge, viz. that he is his?
Not probably on his death-bed. But when the veil of flesh is removed!
May God of His great mercy keep us,
and may we never know so terrible a reality; and, with the Collect for this day,
let us beseech Him to “look upon” our “hearty desires, and stretch forth the
right hand of His Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies.” One word
more. If we are at all impressed with what has been said, there is great danger
still in our seeing the force, the beauty, the suitableness of all this, and
being affected with the heavenly wisdom of Him that thus speaks as from the
otherworld, and therein being satisfied. The Gospel, therefore, is lengthened
out into one more lesson of caution. And it came to pass, as He spake these
things, a certain woman of the company lift up her voice, [1] and said
unto Him, Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps which Thou hast
sucked. But He said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God,
and keep it. To admire, to be impressed, to be sensibly moved by our
Blessed Saviour's whole demeanour and words, His love for us, and anxiety that
we should be saved, this is not enough; we must keep His Word; then shall we be
blessed indeed, and so dear to Him, that that wicked one shall never pluck us
out of His hand.
[1] On the cause of this
interruption, see “The Ministy, 2nd Year,” pp. 169, 170.
