Then he said, I will return into my house
Into the land of Judea, particularly into the Scribes and
Pharisees, outward professors of religion; who, notwithstanding
their outward reformation, and great pretensions to holiness, are
Satan's house still: he has a property in them, a claim upon
them; and though he says,
from whence I came out,
yet he never really and properly quitted it, only seemingly, and
in appearance; and therefore his returning is only throwing off
the guise, and reassuming his former character, as a vicious and
unclean spirit.
And when he is come, he findeth it empty:
not empty of sin: this puts me in mind of a passage in the Misna
F25, where it is said, that on a fast
day,
``when they stand in prayer, they cause to descend, or go before the ark, an old man, who is used (to prayer,) whose children, (Mqyr wtybw) , "and his house, are empty", so that his heart is perfect in prayer,''or entirely at leisure for it. The commentators F26 on that phrase, "his house is empty", note, that he was empty of sin, and free from it, and one concerning whom an evil report had not gone forth from his youth: but such was not this house; it was empty of God, of the true knowledge of him, of the fear of him, and love to him; of Christ, of faith in him, affection for him, and hope on him; of the Spirit of God, and of his graces, and of spiritual, internal religion, and powerful godliness.
Swept;
not with the Spirit of grace convincing of sin, righteousness,
and judgment; but with the besom of an outward reformation:
and garnished;
not with internal grace, which makes saints all glorious within;
but with secret lusts and corruptions, which rendered it an
agreeable habitation for this unclean spirit; and at most, with
some show of morality, a little negative holiness, or abstinence
from outward acts of sin, an observance of some external rites
and ceremonies, and a few hypocritical performances of fasting
and prayer; which Satan can very well bear with, so long as the
heart is empty of spiritual grace, and till an opportunity offers
of throwing off all appearance of good.
F25 Taanith, c. 2. sect. 2.
F26 Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.
