Daemoniacs; An Enquiry Into the Heathen and the Scripture Doctrine of Daemons (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1779. Excerpt: ... they really were: and to complete the whole he aflerts, that, " the declarations of Scrip"ture represent all the Heathen gods as dead "men." Thus he not only rejects the testimony of the ancients, concerning what relateth to their own times, but, in fact, he also affirms, that, those things were not the belief and judgment, either of the inspired or Heathen writers, which both the inspired and Heathen writers constantly affirm to be their be lief and judgment. CHAP. IV. Concerning the Daemons mentioned in the Gospel, and the Application of that 'Term by the sacred Penmen. i.TT T E shall next enquire, in what sense VV Christ and his apostles used the word daemon, when they spake of posseffions; for we have no right to affix a meaning to this term which themselves have never acknowledged? And, as a certain writer beautifully and justly remarks, " It ought not to "be presumed or taken for granted, that "any person whatever, who hath no inten3 ""tioq H tion to deceive, uses words in a fense dif"ferent from the rest of the world, unless "he gives express notice of his so doing. M Whoever assumes a liberty of giving a new "meaning to words, without explaining it, "cannot intend to enlighten, but to con"found or insult the understandings of men. "A conduct of this kind would be peculiarly "heinous in an instructor of the people, who "never look further than to the obvious and "ordinary fense of words, of such especially "as occur continually in common conversa"tion. Shall we then cast so foul a reproach "as this on Christ and his apostles, charge "them with guilt of the deepest dye? Shall "we take it for granted, that they were thus "guilty without the least shadow of proof?"--1 "If they had assigned a new and peculiar "meaning to the word demon, .