Joh.n-3'· Hcb,,.q, Heb 2., 1, lfJ.S :i· !O. ::. Tim.3 . 12. l\,om.I6•_Q, >C'or.l$.,6. Ucb,t.r.,. tCor.I!-)1> 51· :sook Ill. · Chap.1.Secb. give unto)'ou.power to tread 011 Serp~nts, and Scorpions, a~d ov~r all rhc powu of the enemy, and nothmg ]hall by _any mMHS hurt )'OJS.--And no1v u the JUdgment of this world, now jh.dl the Prince of th>S world be caft o~<t.-Andf~r .<S mz<ch M children are p:znakfrs ofjltjh and blood, He n!/o h•mfelfhkgwife too{part of theJame, th•t thr01tgh death he might drftroy him th>.t had the potver of de•th, that i< the Devil. In thefe and many other phces we find this very promife fulfilled Ill C!mfl:, and only in Chrift; and therefore he, and only he is the Seed of the Woman (elm Hu: ~t, o_rhe) dm /hall brUife the Serpents head. Yet I will not deny, but by way of particlpatwn thts promife may pertain to the whole body of Chri!t; tbro11gh him thatlovedm we are morcthen Conq~terollrs,faith the Apoftle. we "'"Y Conquer Satan,though not in our own flrength, but Chrifls; and fo in a fe: condary fenfe, by way. of communicationwith Chrifl, under this Seed all the faithful are and may be contamed; I. Becaufe the Head and Members are all one Body, both he thatfan(iijieth, and tluy who are fanfJijied are all one. 2. Becaufe the faithful are cal– led the feed ofChri(l, whm thou ]halt makg hi< foul an offering for fin, hejiMII fee his feed. 3. Beraufe Satan doth not onely brmfeche heel ofChrilt, bur of all the faithful, all that will.livc godly i~ Ch'rift 'f•fiuJh~ll (uffer PcrfccutiM. 4-· Becaufe Satans overthrow by Clmfl: our head IS d1ff~fed tO all the members, and the God ofpeace]hall bmife Satanundu ;•ourfeet jiJort/y. In tillS fence many of rheancient and moderne Divines do extend rhisfeed to the whole bodyof Chn!l: but pnmanly, ongmally, efpemlly, and properly; it be· longsone!y toChnfl:,and to none but che Lord Jefus Chrifl:. He onely is the feed by whom the promife is accomplilhed, though the faithful alfo are the feed eo whom and for whom the promife was made. 6. What is theSerpents head, and the bruijing ofit? I. For the Serpents head, it is the power, rage, re!gne and kingdome of Satan: it is obferved that in the head of a Ser– pent lies the flrength, power, and life ofa Serpent; fo by a phraze offpeech li!ted to the condidon of this Serpent chat was Satans inUrument, God tels the Devil ofthe danger ofhis_head, (i. c.) of his ~o":'er and Kingdome: now this power and Kingdome ofSatan co nhfls more efpwally m fm and death ; for thefli ng of death isfin, and thepower ofde111i> ;, in Satan. Hence fin and death are ufually called the works and wages of Satan; tl1ey are his own, he owns them, and carnes them at Ius g1rdle. 2. Forthebtt<ijingofrnis head, it is the overth:owingofSatans power; hefh•llbmi(ethyhettd, (i.e.) Chrift IJJall break thy power; Chnfl fhall deflroy fin, and death, and him th.1t had thepower of death, that is, the Devil. I fay Chrifl: /hall do it,though as I have faid in a fecondary fenfe the faithfullliall do it; Chrifl overcomes by his own power, and the faithful! overcome by the power ofChrifl:;the victory is common to all the feed, but the Author ofvictory is only Chrifl: the Head and chie_f ofall the feed : ye have overoom< theevil one, but how? not of your felves, no, it is the God of peace th:~t bruifeth Satan, Well then here is the fenfe, theferpents head is br~tifed, (i.e.) the Devil, and fin, and death, and hell are overthrown; not onely th~ Devil in his perfon, but the works of che Devil, wl1ich by the fall he had planted in our natures, as pride, vain glory, ignorance, lull, c;~c. nor onely Sacans works, but the fruits and effects of his works, as death and hell , fo that all the faichfull m1y fing with Palff; 0 death where is thy ftiJJg! 0 grave where is thy viflory .' th.mizf bet• God wh,ch giveth us villory rhro~egh Jc[lls Chrift ot<r Lord. 7. Wl'\at is the hee/e ofthe feed ofthe woman, and the bmiji11gofit ? I. For the heel , it is the humanity of Chril!, according to which properly Chrll! hath an heel: Or (as others) it is the wayes of Chrifl:, which Satan, by all chemeaneshe ~ould po/Tibly would feek to fuppreffe.. 2. F01: the bruijingof?i< heel,.'tls the m1fenes, tn?ckmgs, woundings, death and bunal ofChnf!, all wlucb hemdured ~n Ius heel (z.e.) m h•: hu~mniry; or it extends further to all che hur.cs, reproaches, affh.:t10ns, perfecunons of t.le fatth– ful by che Devil and h1s agents: all whtch are but as abmi(e m theh2el, w!u, h cannot en– danger the fpirituJ] life of their fou!es. It is obferved, that the Serpent bath but one head but che feed of the woman hath two heels; fo that the one may be lome help. whi1~ the other is hmt. befides an hurt in the heel is far from the head ~nd hem; and though it may be painfuil ,it is not mortal. Indeed, Chrifls heel10as ~mi(<t!, (i.e.) He was delivered to deathl'(even to che death ofthe Crofs; yet he rofe.gam from the dead; net· eher had the devil anv advantage by his death, for a> angry Bees ibngmg once, make chem– felves droanes fo tl;e Devil now he may hifsat us, but be cannot hurt ~~~; by that wound w4ich C hrift recdved at his'death, he wounded all nis enemies irrecoverably; the very fiohtit felf was Chrifts triumph: even then was the Kingdome ofdarknefs unerly over- " ' d d k . d h f, . • mlohr thrown ; fin, death, and Satan were conquere , an ta en captive, an w at oe1 e. be
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