dn Expojition of the Epiflle ~ Firft; I Gy, Spirit is either taken for the Devils,themfelves, that are under ~ this great Prince, whom he fetteth on work: And I~ the ApoO:le explaineth, what he meant by the 'Power _of the A~r; they are .Spmts, fanh he, fent out by the great Devil; for to work 1~ the Hearts ofthe Chtldren of Dtfobedience. And they are called Spirit in the Smgular Number, as they were before called The 'Power of the Air, in the Singular Number, becaufe they are united int~ one Body, they do join with one force under this great Devil; they work one way and as one Spirit, efpecially in refpefr of a common Spirit, (of which we !halt fpeak anon,) that they breath into the Hear-ts of the Children of Difobedience. they carry things on by a common Delign : And, that Spirit is taken thus, in th~ lingular Number, altho there be many of thefe Devils, is clear from Mat. 8. and Mark. 5· from verf. 7· to 14. and Lukg 8. 29. When ChriO: caO: out a whole Legion of Devils ( for fo many they were ) our of one Man, · yet that whole Legion fpeaks in the fingular Number unto ChriO: : Tor1JJe11t [me J 110 t verf. 7· And ChriO: !peaks in the fingular Number to him, after. he had told hi~ they were many, Come out, tho1t unclean Spirit, verf. 9· And, v. to. [He J be– jo11ght him, that he w01ild 11ot find [them] away; . [He J and [them. J Tho they were many, yet O:tll they were called 01ze Spmt. And therefore this is one meaning of it, that there are a World of Devils here in the Air, which are Spi– rits, who join altogether in one Body, under this great Prince, and work in the Children of Difobedience. If you would know, faith the ApoO:!c, what I mean by the Power of the Air, I mean the Spirits, (which are called Spirit for the reafons I told you of,) that do now work in the Children of Difobedience. But there is a fec'ond Interpretation, which indeed, for my part, I rather think is the meaning of this Place, altho we need exclude neither, for both Sences are fully taken in. When as he faith, he is the Prince of the Spirits, or of a Spirit, that now worketh, &c. he cloth not mean only by Spiritf, the Devils, that work as Spirits in Men, but he meaneth that Infulion, rhat Spirit, as I may fo call it that general, common, fpecial Spirit, (for I may call it both fpecial and common) that the Devils do raife up in wicked: Men, againO: ChriO:, and againO: God · a common active Principle, which the Devils do all raife, whereof Satan, ~he Prince, is the IEoiln, the God of all thefe Winds that he letteth loofe, and they all blow one way : and that common Gale that comes from them all, and that by the great Prince's direfrion, that is laid to be the Spirit that worketh. The S;riac/z cloth father this Interpretation, for it jmtteth in the word, [and, J And of Ihe Spirit; that is, The 'Prince of the Power of the Air, and of the Spirit that workgth, &c. Now I lhall !hew you, both that Spirit is fo taken in. Scripture, and that it feems to be taken fo here too. 1. It is fo taken in Scripture, Gen. 41. 38. There 'Pharaoh, !peaking in the Language of his Conjurers, that dealt with the Devils, whom they ·took for Cods, he faith, Cm we jind jitch an om as this is, a MAn in whom the Spirit ofGod is? And, Dan. 4· 8, 9· Nebuchadnezzar ufeth the fame word of Danief, A Ma11, faith he, in whom is the Spirit' of the Holy Gods; that is, he bath the Infulion, the Infpiratiqn of the Gods, which indeec\ were their Devils, who were then the Gods of the World, and wrought in the Sooth-fayers, and in their Sybi!J,asamongO: the Heathens they did. Both Pharaoh, you fee, andNebuchadnezzar ufe the fame Language, and there Spirit is put for the Infulion of the Devils irr them. Sonow that Spirit that breatheth in a Man,that giveth him UnderO:anding, it is called a Spirit, Job 32. 8, There is a Spirit ill a Man, and the lnjfiration of the Almighty giveth V11derjlmtding. And fo in Rev. 19. ro. The Tejlimony of Jejiu is the Spirit of Prophecy: He means not the Holy-GhoO: only, but a prophetick Gift infpired by the HolY.-GhoO:. So here, liy Spirit is not only meant the Devils that breath, but that common Spirit, Spiritm JPiratm, as I may call it, that the Devil raifeth up in the Hearts of Men: and putteth into their Spirits, and tranf. formeth them to. Now that which makes me think the ApoO:le had this in his eye, is this, becaufe he cloth put two Articles, and not only fo, but he addetl1 the word [now.] And the Apo(He feems to point at Come more eminently wicked: That you may know, faith he, that Men are under the Power of the Dev1l, do but obferve .?f. nuw,
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