be tendered to the world, and salvation offered on such gracious terms, without the least derogation from God's law, or the least impediment to holiness and good works, yea, to the greatest promoting and advantage of it that could be imagined: and that free grace should be so far from indulging and strengthening sin, that it is its greatest enemy, and giveth it the most mortal wound; all this was beyond the wit of any creature to have designed. That when man had come short of the glory of God by his fall, the Son of God should become the Captain of our salvation, and lead us up to that, or a greater glory. That by a death which he deserved not he should destroy the death that we deserved. That we should be reconciled to God by his death, and saved by his life. That he should become a sacrifice for sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That the human nature that was so debased and depressed by the malicious temptations of apostate angels, should, by the occasion of that debasement, receive such advancement, and be set above the angelical nature, in the government of the world, and should judge those eyil spirits that did seduce us. That under this head the eternal God should gather him a selected corporation for his praises, and for this wonderful mercy of redemption should have the thanks of his glorified saints for ever. These, with many other mysterious and wonderful passages of this design, do show the greatest enmity to the kingdom of the devil that can be conceived of, and would convince poor infidels if they did but well discern the perfect, well-jointed frame of the whole design.

22. Consider yet further; what admirable helps hath Christ vouchsafed us in his word for the vanquishing of Satan, by the repelling of his temptations. What is a great part of this Gospel, but a directory to his church for the management of this war, and how we may so demean ourselves as to conquer ?

1. He doth unmask the deceiver, and telleth us, both generally and particularly, of his stratagems, depths, methods, wiles, and snares. (Rev. ii. 24; 1 Cor. vii. 5, 6; 2 Cor. ii. 11.) Never were his destroying projects so disclosed: so that now we may escape unless we will either wilfully wink, or put our foot into the suare when we see it, or swallow the bait when we know of the hook.

2. He hath opened unto us the ends of the tempter, and the danger of yielding, and told us of the everlasting misery that he would lead us into.

3. He calleth on us frequently to take heed, to watch, and

stand on our defence, and to beware of carelessness and sleeping. in this danger.

4. When we fall asleep, he giveth us the loudest alarums and warning-pieces to awake us, enough, one would think, to rouse up the most careless soul alive!

5. He telleth us of the devil's malice and design, that he is our adversary, and walketh about like a roaring lion, night and day, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet. v. 8.)

6. He furnisheth us with all the christian armour for defence and offence.

7. He teacheth us how to put it on and use it. Let us transcribe one direction. "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil: for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast-plate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints." (Eph. vi. 10-20.)

8. Also he doth animate and encourage us to be valiant and stand to it, and not to turn our backs or yield. Not to give place to the devil, (Eph. iv. 24,) nor forsake our ground. He telleth us into how many shapes he will turn himself to deceive: sometimes into a serpent, and sometimes a roaring lion, and sometimes into an angel of light, pretending to bring us a greater light than Christ hath given us, as he would give Adam a greater knowledge and wisdom, and as the first heretics were made believe by him, they knew more than the apostolical churches, and therefore were called gnostics. His ministers also do transform themselves into the ministers of righteousness, and will pretend to preach righteousness, and justification, more exactly than Christ's ministers do. (2 Cor. xi. 14-16.) But into how many shapes soever he shall turn himself, Christ telleth us, if we do but resist the devil, he will fly. (Jam. iv. 7.)

9. Yea, he is pleased himself to lead us on, and to bid us follow him and trust him, and hath given us an example for us to imitate.

10. Yea, and he giveth us a promise, not only of his assistance, but of a certain victory, assuring us, that "Greater is he than is in us, than he that is in the world;" (1 John iv. 4;) and that the God of peace will bruise Satan under our feet; and bids us be of good cheer, for he hath overcome for us, and will overcome in us, and in the greatest trials we shall be over-conquerors through him, (Rom. viii. 37,) and that none shall pluck us out of his hands, (John x. 28, 29) nor the gates of hell be able to prevail against his church.

23. If all this be not yet enough, consider the work, the havoc, the destruction, that Christ hath already made against Satan in his kingdom, and the success that the aforesaid means have had. When he was on earth himself, though he did many great works, yet still he omitted not the casting out of devils: and the same power he gave to believers, when he was ascended; (Mark xvi. 17, 18) he commanded them forth, and they could not resist the power of his word; he forced them to confess his superiority and prevailing power; he made them acknowledge that he did torment them before the time of his full and final conquest, by casting them out of their possessions, and overcoming their cruel, malicious endeavours; (Matt. ix. 32, 33; xii. 22, &c.; xv. 22, &c.; xvii. 17-19, &c.; Mark v. 15-18; Luke iv. 33, 34, &c.; iv. 42, &c.; xi. 14, &c. ;) and he healed all that were possessed with devils; (Acts x. 38;) and the principal enemies that his apostles set against, were conjurers, that worked by the help of the devil, as you may find by the foil they gave to Simon Magus, the leader of them, and to Elimas, the sorcerer, whom Paul blinded; (Acts xiii. 9—12;) and they forced out the devil from a damsel that had the spirit of divination, and got her masters much gain by soothsaying, when they were confessed by him to be the servants of the living God; (Acts xvi. 16-18;) when the Jewish exorcists thought to do the like by the bare name of Jesus and Paul, the devil prevailed over them, and caused them to fly naked and wounded. (Acts xix. 13-16.) So many books of magic and conjuration, or their black art, did the Gospel cause them at once to bring forth and burn at Ephesus, that the price of them came to fifty thousand pieces (or shekels) of silver: (Acts xix. 18, 19) a mighty blow to the devil's kingdom.

Yea, it is certain, from current history and church records, that the gift of casting out devils, and making them confess themselves mastered by Christ, did remain in the church for a long time after the apostles, even for three or four hundred years at least, though not in that glory and frequency as with them. I have formerly showed out of Cyprian, Tertullian, &c., how the Christians did provoke their judges to try them upon this account, and offered themselves to suffer, if they did not make the devils in the possessed confess themselves to be devils, and show themselves afraid of Christ. Yea, the writers of the first ages frequently mention it as a thing that the pagans themselves knew, as you may briefly see (besides divers others) in those testimonies which Grotius hath gathered on this point, in his 'Annotations on Mark,' (xvi. 17,) out of Justin Martyr's Colloq. cum Tryph.;' Irenæus, Origen, Tertullian, Minutius Felix, and Lactantius. See also what I cited before, in the disputation out of Augustin, 'De Civitat. Dei.' No where could Satan keep his possession, where the power of Christ did assault him.

2. And as Satan was thus cast out of men's bodies, so were all his oracles overthrown; and they that had before deluded the world, did suddenly cease when Christianity did approach; Porphyrius complains of this against the Christians, as being the cause of the silence of their idol gods; thus also did Christ vanquish Satan, and remove him from his throne.

3. Also Christ did overthrow the worshipping of devils, and root out that idolatry that carried away the world. Before the light of the Gospel did break forth, what abominable idolatry was exercised through the earth, even in the most learned and civil nations, at Athens and at Rome; but the Gospel brought them all to shame, and expelled this darkness, and wherever it comes, idolatry flieth away, according to the measure of its

success.

4. When Satan raised up his witches and enchanters to uphold his kingdom, and bring idolatry again into credit, as Apollonius and the rest, the Gospel prevailed against all their power and devilish devices.

5. When Satan raised up the most learned philosophers to resist the Gospel, yet did it prevail against all the power of their carnal wit. And doubtless it was the purposed designment of God that the Gospel should be sent forth in such a place and age, where were the most learned enemies that were in all the

non-plussed, and the When were there so

world, that so all their learning might be Gospel of Christ might triumph over it. many learned men in the world, as about the time of Christ, and his apostles, and the following time when the Gospel was conflicting with the opposition of their sciences? If ever reason or learning could have disgraced Christ and his truth, it would have been then. But Christ used other kind of weapons than theirs. They pleaded with words, and he with mighty works: they used sophisms; and he shined into men's souls with an insuperable light. Their weapons were weak and carnal; but his were strong and spiritual; their wisdom to him was foolishness, and his seeming foolishness proved wiser than they; and by weak and simple means and instruments did he overcome aud confound their might and strength.

6. Yea, when the Jews themselves did plead abused Scripture against them, yet were they confounded, and their resistance of the Gospel hath brought on them such a curse as hath made them the astonishment of the world. Even the same that Christ foretold should befall them; and the same that they wished on themselves, (not knowing what they said,) "His blood be upon us and upon our children."

7. And when Satan raised an army of heretics, Simonians, Nicolaitans, gnostics, and the rest, though they came instructed with witchcraft, and wicked arts, yet Christ confounded them, and a little time did break each sect in pieces; and when new sects succeeded them, the like did befall them; so that those that were the great scourge and vexation of one age, as the libertines, ranters, quakers, the offspring of separation and anabaptistry, are now with us, were scarce known to the next, but by their names and by report. The church of Ephesus had Nicolaitans among them; but they hated their doctrine as Christ himself hated it. (Rev. ii. 6.) The church of Smyrna had blasphemers among them, that said they were Jews, but were not, but were the synagogue of Satan; but they prevailed not. (Rev. ii. 9, 10.). The church of Pergamos dwelt even where Satan's seat was, and had them that held the doctrine of Balaam, teaching men to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication; they had also them that held the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which Christ hated; and yet they held fast Christ's name, and denied not his faith, even in those days wherein his faithful martyr Antipas was slain among them, where Satan dwelt. (Rev. ii. 12-15.) The churches of Thyatira had among them