Againfifpiritnal wicliedneffe. 2 5 ries, The holy Angels, Heb. t. I 4. Are they not all min:firing .0srits ? The evil: There cameforth afpirit and floodbefore the Lord, and laid, I will perftrade him, a Kings 22. 21. that fpirit was a devil, How oft is the devil call'd the unclean fpirit,foule fpirit, lying fpirit, &c. Sin did not alter their fubftance, for then, as one faith well, that nature and fubftance which ttanfgreft could not be puniih't. Firft, the devil is a fpirit,that is, his effence is immaterial and fimple, not compounded(as corporal beings are ) of matter and forme : Handle and fee me (faith Chrift to his difciples, that thought they had feen a Spirit) a Spirit bath not fleA andbones, iu ye feeme have, Luke 24. 39. If they were not thus imma- terial, how could they enter intobodies and poffeffe them as the Scripture tells us they have even a legion into one man? Luke 8. 3o. one body cannot thus enter into another. Secondly, the devils are fpiritual fubftances, not qualities, or evil motions;r arifing from us, as fome have abfurdly conceived. So the Sadduces, and others following them deny any fuch as Angel good or evil : but this info fond a conceit, that wernufl both forfeit our reafon, and deny the Scriptures to maintaireit, wherewe finde their Creation related, Col. I. i 8. the fail of fome from their fikft elate, Jude 6, and the fland.ing of others called the Elea Angels ; The happineffe of theone,who behold Gods face; and their employment, are fent out to attend on the Saints as fervants on their Mailers heirs, Heb. r. Themifery of the other,referved in chaines of dark- neffe unto the judgement of the great day ; and their prefent work,which is to do mifchief to the fouls and bodies of men, as far as they are permitted ; all which Phew their fubfiftence plain enough. But fo irnmerft is forry man in flefh, that he will not eafily beleeve what he fees not with his flefhly eyes ; the fame account we may deny the tieingof God himfel, be caufe invifible. Thirdly, they are entire fpiritual fubftances, which have e- very one proper exiftence : and thus they are diftinguilh't from the fouls of men, which aremade to fubfiti in a humane body ; and together with it to make one prfeett man; fo that the foul; though when feparated from the body, it cloth exit, yet hath a tendency to unionwith its body again. K k 2 Fourthly, .. ,
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