to theE P H E SI A N S. He did this when he afcended; for i rake it thefe words h•ve reference to his~ Afccnfion, and my ground is, beca.ufe then he led Capttvtty captzve, as he faith Srrmo" Eph 4 .8. He fpoiled Devils then, and he made an open ihew of them. As we XXX f t. are mnde Spedacles unto Angels and Men, and unto God, as the Apoflfe fanh, ~ fo before Angels mtdMm; and 61ore God, Jefus Chnft made an oren !hew of them; as they ufed to do that triumphed over the conquered, they tted them at their Charriot-wheels, and fo led them .openly after them tn way of rnumph : fo did Jefus Chrift triumph over Devils when he afcended. Yea, my Brethren; before-hand.Saith Chrift,lJaw Sata11fall dow11fromHeavm Id"Light!Jiug,when the Gofpef was preached. And this great Bifi1op of our Souls !ifenced Satan pre• fentfy. for before the D evil fpake in the Oracles, in Tre~s, and he fpake in Temples; as God did in the Hob of Holiefl, (o he had done all the Worldover: But when Chrifl came, all the Oracles were mute, the Heathens wondred at it, Pl111.1rch writeth a Boo!< of it. And let me tell you this, That all the great de!ign of God, lince Chrift hath been in Heaven, hath been to ruine Satan, to throw him down out of hi& Hea'– ven. You heard before, that he was in the Roma11 Empire, and he was wor– ihipped there as God; Jt(.u Chrijl in Three hundred years flung him out thence ; The Accujer of 011r Brrthrm u come dow11 to Eartb. All his Idols were flung from thence, he w~s thrown down from Heaven, that is, from being worihipped as God. · Well, rhen, the Devil turned GhriJ!imt, and gives the Pope his Power in the Well:; fettetl1 up the Turk in the Eafl. • My Brethren, Our Lord and Saviour Chrifl will never leave till he hath thrown him out of thefe Seats too. There. fore you read Rev. 1g. 19,20 . at the end of the great War againfl both, I Jaw, faith he, the Blafl, and the ja!Je Prophet that wro11ght Mtracles hjore him, with which he deaived men that dwelt upo11 the Earth; and the Ki11gs of the Earthwrre takm thrttfloodfor them, theje were cajl into the L ,tke that 611med with {ire mJd 6rimj/o11e. And then what followeth, Chap. 20, 2. Thrre wa< ,m .Angeicamtfrom Chnjl, with Authority from him, (for Chrifl neederh not do it himfelf, it is but giving an Angel commiflion to do it,) a11d he laid hold 011 the 'i)ragou, that Old Serpmt, which is the 'Devil and Satan, m1d 6o!md him (faith he) andjlrmg him ittto Hell, This power hath our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrifl. And, my Brethren, to ihcwyou in a word that Jef.u is above all power, you !hall find in 1 Cor•J).24• that htwillrt~gutitlhehath putdowiJ aJt Rrtte, a11d all Pri11cipatities a11d Powers, and efpecially the 'Devil; for he (peaks of a Power that is an Enemy unto him; for it followeth in the next wotds, He mu{t rtigtt till he bath put all E11tmies under hu ftet. All the power and principa– lity the 'Devtl bath 10 the World, and not only he, but what A11gels have, will be put down, but efpecially he. Why? Becaufe he is an Enemy; for he mufl reig11 (faith he) tit/ ht have put at/ Enemies ttnder his feet. And at the day of Judgment the 'Devrts tremble, ond that great Devil ihall be brought forth that fet himfelf up againfl the Lord Jefus Chrifl, and Oiall be judged, and every poor Samt !hall trtadhim tmder his feet, as it is Rom,16.2o. and everything irl Earth and under the Earth; Men, and Angels, and Devils, !hall 6ow their btees before the Lord Jefus Chrifl, that is, they flnll _acknowledge him to be the great SaviOur, the great Kmg of the 'World, as 1t ts Phi/. 2. 10. and repeated -??-om-4- 1r. and interpreted of the day of Judgment, when the Angels !hall be Judged. Therefore fear not, my Brethren, our Lord Jefus Chrifl is above Devils, and Men, and Angels, and all. So much for opening of thefe words , Far a6ove a!J Triftcipa!ity ami Powtr, attd Might a1td 'Domit1io11. . In a word to this, A1tdevery Name that is 11amtd. What IS the reafon the Apoflle addetl~ this ? He addcth it for two Reafons. the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=