Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

Book.III. Looking unto 1tfus. Chap. I. SeCt 2 6. What is the Serpents head, and the bruijing 6{ it? - I. For the Serpents head, it is the power, rage, reigne and Kingdome of Satan : it is obferved that in the head of a Serpent lies the. ih'ength, power, and life of a Serpent ; fo by a phraze of fpeech· fitted to the condition of this Serpent that: was Satans inftrument, God tels the Dive! of the danger of his head,(i.)of his power and' Kingdome : now this power and Kingdome of$atan conGfis more ~~~2/~~6• efpecially in fin and death ;for the fing of dettth u jinf, and the pPwer ofdeilth u in Sat11n. Hence fin and death are u ually called the works & wages ofSatan;they are his own,he owns them,& carries t·bem at his girdle. 2. For the bruijin-g of this head,. it is the overthrowing of Sa tans power; he /ball bruife thy head, (i.) Chrifi fhall break thy power; -Ch'rifr fhall defl:roy finne, and death, and him that h;~d the power of death, that u, the. Dive!, I fay Chrift fhall·do it, though as I have faid in a fecondary fenfe' the faithful fhall do it ; Ghrift overcomes by his own power, and the faithful overcome by the power of Chrift; the victory is common to all the feed, but the Author ofvid:ory is·onely Chrift li.Jnh.~.J 3· the Head'and·chiefofall-the feed: y e have overcome the evil ~ne 'P.:Q~l~:aQ, but how? not ofyour felves, no,it is tht God of peace that 6ruif tth Satan. Well then, here is the fenfe; the Serpents-brad is 6rHiftd (i.) the Dive!, and IInne, and death, and hell'areoverthrownn~t onely the Dive! in his perfon, but the works of the Dive( which by the fall he had planted in our natures , as pnde , vainglory, ignorance, luft, &c. nor onely Satans works, but the fruits and effeds ofhis works, as death and hell; fo that all the 'iCor_.is ,S'f, . faithful may Gng with P au!; 0 death whm u thy fl ing ? o J'Y.~ grave where is thy· viClo?? thank.! be to God which giveth m viClory through Jefu.r Chrift,our Lord. 7· What is the heele nf the feed of the woman, and the 6ruifing of it? 1. Forthe heele, it is the hu!Tanity of Chrifl:; ac- · cording to which proper!) Chrifi hath an heel: Or (as others)it · is the wayes of Chrifi. which Satan, by all the meanes he could· poffibly would feek t~ fuppreffe .. 2. For the brriji~g of hi-s h~el, it is the mifer,es moc!ung-;,woundmgs,dearh and bunal ofChnft, aH which he endured in htsheele; (i) mhis humanity; or it extends further to al l the hurts, reproaches, .afHidions, perfecuti1 ons of the faitbful by the DiveIand his-agents : all which are but · as a: bruire it~ the heele, wh1ch. cannot endanger- the foirituallife · · .J' • • oL

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