54 .dn Expofition of the Epijlle ~ do walk._ in the Spirit, and f;e. It is the f.1me phrafe that isufed of a Man's walking ~m the Holy Ghoft, w.hen the Holy Ghofl flrengthneth htm. And the Devil did ufe to come into Ahabs Prophets; he was alymg Spmt m them; They walk._in the Spirit, ad f;e. I fpeak lt for tillS, that he can thus blow up, and fill up a Man's Spirit. I fhould have added a middle,between entring and puttit~ into the heart that is, he can provoke Men, inflame them. The Tonglle ( faith j<tmu) ;. fet 01 ; fre ofHell; and it is faid expre!ly ofDavid, in I CMon.2 1. r. that Satan provoked bil]l to number lfrtw!. And not only this, but he can effdl:ually prevail. He can by all thefe means \vork in us; firfl, work indifcernably in a Man ; Secondly,. having right, as in wtcked men he hatb, he can enter and dwell there, as m hiS Houfe or Caflle: Thirdly,when he bath provoked and flirred up the f)ffections and Paffions. When the Will bath confcnted, be can flrengthen that Will, and fo flrengthen it that he !ball prevail and work effectually; for fu the word here implies. In 2 'Theff 2 • 10. [peaking ofSatan's \vorking upon the lean.Jed part of the Popi!l1 Party, that know the Truth, and reade 1t; hu commg ( faith be) is with all deceiveablenefs of tmrig!.teot'.foef, tbat they might all be damned. The doctrine is fo laid to men's cor– rupt hearts, that it deceivetb them, and dcceivetb them effectually. Therefore in 2 Chron.18.2r. it isfaid there by God himfelf, Thou fbaltgoand entire him, and tho 11 Jbalt prevail. And you know, he was prefendy > lying Spirit, and prevailed over all Ahab's Prophets, and over .Ahab himfdf. And be cloth it with a kind of Command, for he is a Prince too; therefore they arc f.1id to be taken captive at his will. And fo much now for the manner of his workitJg~ which this phrafe [le workgth m them] 1mpheth; an~ what I have fa1d lS neccflary .to open it. Now ·the Apoflle's !cope is likewifc to hold forth all the Advantages he bath as a Spirit. He is an Active Spirit; for Spirits are active: The Horfts ofEgypt are not . Jlefb butJPirit. I !ball not now fland to open the Advantages, for time would fail me. The Obfervation I !ball make from hence is this : Th~t tho the Devil worketh in Men thus, and works effectually, yet fo, as all their Sins are their own fiill ; why elfe are they called Children ofDifobedience ! he tvorkgth ( C.1ith be) in the Children of Difi;bedience; and they walk in Sin, tbo the Devil thus work, and cloth work in all the Sins of Men. For that which we tran!late [Our life is a co11tir.ua/ Warfore] the Septuagint rende~s it [a contilmal TempMio11.] The reafon why tho the Devil thus work, yet it is all our Sin, is this; Bccaufe that the Devil he cloth not thus enter into us or joyn with our fpirits to confirm us, till our wills are come to a confent, we give pla~e firft, And then when he cloth confirm,fiill the Will ofa man is free, he is but firengthened in it; be may caufe the Waters to [well, but he cannot turn them back. It ts<iv1dent mAnaniM, why hath Satrm filled thine heart ? You will fay, did not Satan work in him, how could be help it? yet it is made his fin, for that he gave way to the Devil; for he gave way at the firfl, and then the Devil entered in and filled him. Another in– fiance for it is that in 2 Tim.2.ult. he faith, we are taken captive alive t\wn"l'(vor, as the word is derived frol!l thence, the meaning is this, they are alive when they are taken, and they are taken willingly by him, tho at his will, yet with their own will too. They are not moved as dead flocks, but they are moved as having a living active Principle in them, their own will. No man finneth, my Brethren, becaufe Satan commandeth him; for we do not fee that Satan commandetb us, for be works undifcernably, but we fin becaufe of what is propounded to us t as no man cloth fin becaufe God decrees him to fin, therefore no man can excufe himfelf with that: fo no man can excufe himfelfwith this, that Satan worketb in him. And fo much now !Or that firfi Interpretation, that here, by Spirit, is meant the– Devils, who, as Spirits, work in the Children ofDifobedience. I come now to a fecond Interpretation, which is taken for the Effect of ·thefc Devils, that common Spirit that they rai[ed in thofe times in the Children ofDif– obedience, which the Apoflle bringeth as an inflance, that tbemfelves might fce ~ow it wrought ; Do not you fee, faith he, how ic workcth, what a Spirit tber~
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