would have made of the like Injury. I know not what our _Divines_ think of this Part of the Story, nor wherefore _Jesus_ escaped so well; but if any _Exorcist_ in this our Age and Nation, had pretended to expel the Devil out of one possess'd, and permitted him to enter into a Flock of Sheep, the People would have said that he had bewitch'd both; and our Laws and Judges too of the last Age, would have made him to swing for it. Without Offence, I hope, I have argued against the Letter of this strange Story of the holy _Jesus_; I should not have dared to have said so much against it, but upon the Encouragement of _Origen_ and other Fathers, who say, we ought to expose the Absurdities of the Letter, as much as may be, to turn Men's Heads to the mystical and true Meaning. Let's hear then what the Fathers say to this Miracle. _Origen_'s Commentaries on this Part of St. _Matthew_, and St. _Luke_'s Gospel, are lost; otherwise unquestionably he would not only have told us, that he believed no more of the Letter of this Story, than he did of the Devil's[45]taking our Saviour to the Top of a Mountain, and shewing him all the Kingdoms of the World; but, as he is an admirable _Mystist_, would have given us curious Light into the Allegory and Mystery of it. But without _Origen_, we have enough in the other Fathers against the Letter of this Story. St. _Hilary_ reckoning up all the Parts of this Miracle together, says of it, that it is[46] typical and parabolical, and written for our Meditation of what would be done hereafter by the holy _Jesus_. According to him, and other Fathers, the _Madman_ is Mankind; or if they were two, they were _Jew_ and _Gentile_ at Christ's coming, who may be said to[47] be _possess'd with Devils_, in as much as they were under the Rule of diabolical Sins, and subject to the Worship of [Greek: Daimoniôn], false Deities, which we translate _Devils_. They were _so fierce_[48] _as no Chains could hold them_, because of their most furious Rage and Enmity to the Church, whom no Bonds of Reason could restrain from doing Violence to the Christians. They are said _to be_[49] _naked_, because they were destitute of the Clothing of the Spirit, and of Grace. And may be said to be _among the_[50] _Tombs_; because they were dead in Traspasses and Sins. After that _Jesus_ had exorcis'd these diabolical Spirits out of the _Gentiles_, and brought them to their right Senses, which was upon their Conversion to the Faith; then a _good Way off_, some Ages after, did the like _Devils_, by divine Permission, enter into a[51] _Herd of Swine_, i. e. into _Hereticks_ of impure Lives and furious Natures. What sort of _Hereticks_ are meant, or whether they are not to be understood of Christians In general, let our _Divines_ consider. But one would be apt to think that _Ministers of the Letter_ are included, because the _Letter_ of the Scripture is mystically call'd[52] _Swines_ Food. I am not obliged to pursue the mystical Interpretation