to the E P H E S I A N S. 49 us on tO Sin then he goes to God, and aeeufeth ; when that wicked one ruleth s~ over a Man,' then he lbndeth on his right hand, and is an Accufer. Therefore ~ he is faid to have the Power of Death, not becaufe he is a Tormentor, but be- -caufe he bath a Commillionfrom Cod, to carry a Man on to Sin, and then to urge his Commillion. My Brethren, let us therefore come in to Jefus Chrill:, he is a King ofour own Nature. In all probability, ( as I (hewed before,) it was a Motive to the Angels to let up a Kingdom againll: Chrill:, be.aufe they would not be fub– jell: to one of another Nature: It may therefore well be a Motive unto us,. to come in, and fubjell: our felves unto Chnll:; why ? . Thou !halt have a Kmg that is of thine own Nature; and whereas the other IS a Dell:royer, be will be a Saviour; whereas the other is an Accufer, he will be an Interceder. I !hould likewife fi1ew you, the Apoll:le's Scope is Thankfulnefs; but I referve that, till we come to thofe words, He hath made 111 jit togetber in hetWenly Pl•cu in Chl'ijl: For it is a great Change, to be tranfiated from the Kingdom of Satan, and to fit together with Chrift in his Kingdom, which is the State of every Cbriftian. And fo much now for that fecond Head, viz,. That every unregenerate Man is aSubjell: of Satan's Kingdom, and their Mifery in that refpell:, which is clearly the Apoll:le's Scope; and that they wal~ according, to the 'P,.ince of the Power of tbe Air. I come now to the third Head, and that is this : The Spirit that now work$th in the Children of Difobedience. Here are three things for the parts of thefe Words: Here is the Spitit that work$th ; here is the Time when, Now; here are the Pcrfons in whom, The Chil– t/,.m of Difobedience. I mull: firll: open the Pbrafes, before I can come to the l;bings I !hall £Peak out of it. And, · Firll: ; What is meant by Spirit that work$th l The difficulty of opening this, !ieth in this; becaufe in the Greek it is the Genitive Cafe, as we call it, that is, if you would tranllate it rightly, The 'Prince of the 'Power of the .Air, of the Spirit that work$th. And lo here being three Genitive Cales coming together, Of the P•wer, of the Air, of the Spirit, it makes the words the more difficult. There are fame, and you fee our T ranllators took part with them, that fay, it is a Change of the Cafe, that the Genitive Cafe is put for the Accufative, that is thus, [, which )'e walk$d according to the Prince, faith he, and if you would know what that Prince is, he is the Spil'it that work$th, &c. And it is true, that there are Inll:ances in Scripture, that one {:ale is fometimes put for another. But the truth is, it is both:hard, and not fo ulual ; and therefore, unlefs there be a necellity of it, I would not fquare the meaning here, by that tranfpofition of the Cafe. And there is this reafon for it belides, becaufe that.the great Devil, who is this great Prince, he cloth not work in every Child of Difobeclience, all thole Works that are wrought by other Devils in them; rather therefore it mull: bemeanr,that he is the Prince either oftheSpirits, or of a Spirit, that cloth work in them: And fo the Sence will run in a natural way, The 'Prince of the 'Power of the Air, tbe 'Prince of the Spirit, that now iPork$th in the Childrm of Difobedience. Now then, if you take it fo, it bath a double meaning : Either Spirit is taken here pro Spiritre JPirante, that is, the Spirit that breatheth; or, pro Spirit" f}irato, that is, the Spirit that is breathed into Men : That is, It is either taken exegetically, for the ~ords afore, The 'Power of the Air, that is, thofe leller De– y!ls, that are under this great Devil, that are his Spirits, and that go and work m Men by his directions, he being the Prince of them, and ordering them lo to do ; or elCe.it is taken for that common joint Gale, that thefe Devils oove in the Heartsof Wicked and carnal Men, elpecially thofe that arc emmemly the Chil· dren of Difobedience : He is the Prince of both thefe Spirits. lirft;
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