44 An Expojition of the €pijtle ~~--- s~ If it be f.1id, that the Devil's Example is not vifible, therefore tbat cannot be ~~themeaning of it, that they wall;fd after the Prince p t/;e Power of the Air that is, after his oxample: My Brethren, it is true, hts Example is not vifib!c' and Men do not de indujlria imitate this Devil ; yet notwithfbndina whild they do the f.rme Works, that the Devil himlelf, if he were incarnate, g; fappo– fing him to be doathed wnh Fleflr and Blood, and that he were to live in this World, and to be convcrCmt milongfl: Men, as one Man is with another ac– cording to the Laws of humane Kind; if, I f:1y, they walk fo as he would ~valk fuppofing him fuch, fo long they may be laid to walk after his Example : they d; by hiS Infhncr the fame thmgs he would do. There rsa notable Place for this, in j ohn 8. 44- Ymt 11re (f:1ith Chrifl:, [peaking to the fe.vt,) of ;·our F11tloe>;, the Devil; a11d the Ltt}II of )011~ Fathe>· )Olt will do.: Yea, at the 39tb Verle, C1rth he, If you were Abraham s ChildrCit, JOlt would do the 1¥orf<! of Abraham. They pretended to be .Abrahan/s Children, and they pretended to do the WorJ<s of .Abraham; but Ghrifl: tellsthem, they were of their Father, the Devil, and that they did his Works. At the 38th Verle, C.1ithhe, I {Pea/z that which Thave fien with my Father, and )'e do tbat which )'e have fiw with-your Father, meaning the Devrl. A fl:range Parallel th1s ! It IS certarn, that our Saviour Chrifl: did do what he Grw with his Father l' for the Father cloth nothing but wh~t he (hew– cth the Son, as he C1ith, john 5· Yea, but, f.1ith be, altho you do not vifibly fee what the Devil cloth, yet you do the fame things, as if you had convcrlc<l with him, and been acquainted with him, as if you had feen him, as Children fee their Fathers. This is his Scope : The L•ifls of;our Father ye will do, faith be ; and as I do th11twhich I have fien with 111)' Fathe~·, fo ye do that which ye h,ciJC fien with )Oilr Father. . Abraham walked before God, and was upright, as eying God m all thrngs: W1cked Men mdeed do not walk thus befor.e Satan, as eyiug him ; yet they walk in the fame !leps, as if they C1w what \,)1e Deyil dotb, and what he would do. Then a9ain, in the fecond place, they_ are faid to wal/z after the Prince of the Power·of tJJe Air, not only becaule mater>ally they do the f.1me things the Devil doth,and would do; but becaufe they f.1tisfy his Lufl:s, and his Will over them, in all that they.do. The L11jls, faith he, o!J•om· Father )'e wiU do, ver( 44· You do not only the fame things which he cloth; but which he defires you fhould do; and fo you do gratify him in all that you do, and you fui~Jl his pleafure more than you do your own. They are not faid to fulfil! their own Lufl:s, fo much as the Lufl:s of 1hcir Father, the Devil And then, in the third place: Not only they do what he would have themdo, but they do it after a commanding Power of his. A Friend may do what ·a Friend defires; but yet he cloth not walk after him ns a Prince: but now all carnal Men in the World, they do walk after Satan, as their Prince i they do n0t only what he clefireth {hev fhould do, but he ha,th a commanding Power over them, (for that being a 'Prince evidently implies.) And therefore, in 2 Tim. 2. ult. they are C1id to be tal;f11 captive at hi< Will: And in Ails 26. when Men arc converted, they are faid to be delivered, to be turned from the Power ofSatan. And fo now you have the Phrafe opened, What it is to wal/z after the P,.inee of the Pmver of tbe Air ? I only add this, becaufe he !peaks chiefly of the great Devil : He doth not immediatly command in all Mens Hearts, (for jt is impoffible be fhould) as Chrifl: doth ; therefore Chrifl: is called a Head, a. well as a 'Prinrc, fo is not Satan : Yet he fends out leffer Devils, that do command in Men's Hearts. As fuppofe there were thole here in England, that fhould act all the King ofSpain's Counlels, or the Pope's Counfels, and what he command– eth; tho what is done here is not immediatly done by either of thele; yet if it be done by thofe Agents that are fent out by the King of Spain, or by tho!f' Emiffaries that are fent out from Rome, they may be C1rd to walk after therr Prince, or to walk after the Beafl: ; thofe, I mean, that do obey their directions: So it ishere. I come now to fome Obfcrvations, that will further open the words. The
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