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I. A PICTURE OF MAN IN HIS SINFUL STATE. Observe, that although man's hear, was intended to be the throne of God, it is now become the palace of Satan. It is said of this strong man, moreover, that he is armed. Truly the prince of the power of the air is never without weapons. His principal weapon is the lie. Then we are told that he wears armour — for we read that the stronger warrior "taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted." Certain it is, the evil spirit is well accoutred in that which is proof against all terrestrial steel. Prejudice, ignorance, evil education — all these are chain-armour with which Satan girds himself. A hard heart is the impenetrable breast-plate which this evil spirit wears; a seared conscience becomes to him like greaves of brass; habitude in sin is a helmet of iron. Notice, again, this strong man: besides being armed and plated with armour, he is very watchful; for it is said "he keepeth his palace" — keeps it like the faithful warder who with ceaseless tramp and sleepless eye holds watch upon the castle wall. He does not put on the armour to sleep in it. You may find sleeping saints, but never sleeping devils. We have in the text a good reason given why Satan thus watches over the man whose heart he inhabits, because he considers the man to be his property — "he keepeth his goods." They are not his in justice; whatever goods there are in the house of manhood must belong to God who built the house, and who intended to tenant it. But Satan sets up a claim and calls everything in the man his goods. The man's memory he makes a storehouse for ill words and bad songs; the man's judgment he perverts so that the scales and weights are false; the man's love he sets on fire with coals of hell, and his imagination be dazzles with foul delusions. He claims the whole man to be his own; and it is wonderful how readily his claim is allowed. Men fancy music in the chains with which Satan binds them, and hug the fetters which he hangs upon them. Nor is this all; Satan not only claims possession, but he claims sovereignty. You perceive it is said, "his palace." A palace is usually the abode of a king, so Satan considers himself a great king when he dwells in the human heart. I must not leave this picture until you have observed that it is said, "while he keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace." This is the most fearful sign in the whole affair. The man is quite undisturbed — conscience does not prick him: why should it? God does not alarm him: who is God, that he should obey His voice? Thoughts of hell never disturb him. Men who are stupefied with laudanum may be naked, but they are not cold; they may have empty stomachs, but they are not hungry; they may be diseased in body, but they do not feel the torment: they are drunken, and know not their misery: and so it is with the most of carnal men — nothing awakens them.

II. A REPRESENTATION OF MAN FOR A TIME REFORMED. Observe, then, that in the case before us the unclean spirit goes out of his own free will. Why does the evil spirit leave a man for a time? Has he not some hellish purpose in view? Certainly he has. I think it often is because he feels if he does not go out he will be driven out, but he thinks that by giving way for a time he will satisfy the conscience till he gets it lulled to sleep faster than ever. Thus he will stoop to conquer, retreat to draw his opponent into an ill position; allow his throne to shake, that he may re-establish his dominion permanently. Moreover, he thinks that by letting the man indulge in a little religion for a time, and then turn aside from it, he will make him permanently sceptical so that he will hold him fast by the iron chain of infidelity, and drag him down to hell with that book in his jaws. Now, after a time it appears that the evil spirit returned; he could find no rest for himself except in the hearts of the wicked, and therefore he came back again. There is no opposition to his entrance, the door is not locked, or if it be he has the latch-key. He comes in, there is no tenant, no man in possession, no other proprietor. He looks round and cries, "Here is my house. I left it when I took my walks abroad, and I have come back, and here it is ready for me." The devil shouts his "Halloa!" and there is an echo through every room, but no intruder starts up. "Is Christ here?" No answer. He goes outside and he looks at the lintel, for Christ's mark is sure to be there if Jesus is within. "No mark of blood on the post, Christ is not here," says he, "it is empty, I will make myself at home"; for if Jesus had been there, though He had been hidden in a closet, yet when He came out He would claim possession, and drive out the traitor, and say, "Get thee gone! this is no place for thee; I have bought it with My blood, and I mean to possess it for ever." But it is empty, and so Satan fills it with stores of evil. The next thing the fiend notices is that it is swept; as one says, "Swept, but never washed." Sweeping takes away the loose dirt, washing takes away all the filth. O to be washed in Jesus' blood I Here is a man whose house is swept — the loose sins are gone. He is not a drunkard; there is a pledge over the mantelpiece. He is no longer lustful; he hates that sin or says he does, which is as much as the devil wants him to do. The place is swept so tidy, so neat, you would not know him to be the same man as he used to be; and he himself is so proud to think he has got his house so clean, and he stands up at the threshold as he meets the devil with a "Good morning," and he says, "I am not as other men are — I am neither an extortioner, nor a drunkard; nor even as that Christian over yonder, who is not half what he ought to be — nor a tithe so consistent as I am." And as the devil looks round and finds the place swept, he finds it garnished too. The man has bought some pictures — he has not real faith, but he has a fine picture of it over the fireplace; he has no love to the cross of Christ, but he hag a very handsome crucifix hanging on the wall. He has no graces of the Spirit, but he has a fine vase of flowers on the table, of other people's experiences and other people's graces, and they smell tolerably sweet. There is a fireplace without fire, but there is one of the handsomest ornaments for the fireplace that was ever bought for money. It is swept and garnished.

III. A GRAPHIC PORTRAIT OF MAN ENTIRELY CONQUERED BY THE POWER OF THE GREAT REDEEMER. NOW, observe here is a "stronger than he." This is not the man himself, the man is the house, the man is not so strong as the devil — who is this? This is Jesus Christ, who comes by His Spirit into the heart of man, and the Spirit of God is vastly superior to Satanic power, as much as the infinite Creator Himself must ever be superior to the finite creature. "He comes upon him," that is to say, He attacks him; and ah, how vehemently does Christ lay to at the great enemy of souls. One sword-cut cuts away the plume of pride; another blow takes away the comfort of sin; and another destroys the reigning power of sin. As soon as ever the stronger man has conquered the enemy, what does he do? He takes his sword of rebellion, snaps it across his knee, and pulls the armour from the back of the unclean spirit. Prejudice, ignorance, hardheartedness, all these are pulled off the old enemy. Christ Jesus then proceeds to divide the spoil. "There is the man's heart, I will take that," says He, "that shall be a jewel in My crown. The man's love I will set as a jewel upon My arm for ever. His memory, his judgment, his power of thought, utterance, and working — these are all Mine," says Christ. He begins to divide the spoil, He puts the broad arrow of the King upon every room in the house, upon every piece of furniture. The garnishing He pulls out; "I will adorn it far better than this," saith He. "There shall be no pictures of faith, but faith; there shall be no ornament in yonder gate except the ornament of the glowing fire of fervid zeal; there shall be no borrowed flowers, but I will train round this window the sweet roses and jessamine of love and peace of mind; I will wash what was only swept, with My blood I will make it white, and sweet, and clean; and I will strike the lintel and the two side posts with the hyssop, and with the blood mark, and then the destroying angel when he sweeps by shall sheathe his sword, and the black fiend when he would enter shall see the mark there, and go back trembling to his accursed den." This is conversion, the other was only conviction; this is change of heart, the other was only change of life.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

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KJV: When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

WEB: "When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe.