Gurnall - BV4500 .G87 1655

in 'Heavenly things. venly, yea, for heaven it felf, and our Adoption, as he goes on. The lame way Chryfofiorne carries it, in cceleflibmi , id eft, pro cm. leftibua Dei . And after him Muccuhm, and ocher modern \A ri. ters. The Reafons which are given for this Interpretation are weighty. firft, the word elfewhere indefinitely fet down, is taken for things,not places, lieb. 8. 5, nay, one obferves this word to be tiled almoff twenty times in the NewTellament, and never for any aerial place, but alwayes for things truly heavenly and fpiritual *; the word indeed properly fignifies fiverceIeftial, and G")0ezieprR, if applied to places, would fignifie that where the devil never the gpla°2-i, came fince his fall. Laftly, there feems no great argument to render Satan formi- dableby his being above us in place;'tis fome advantage indeed to men, togain the hill, or be above their enemies in tome place offlrength, but none at all to fpirits ; but now take it of things, and then it addes weight to all the other branches of the de- fcription. We wreftle with Principalities and Powers, and Spi- ritual wickedneffe , and againft all thefe, not for fuch toyes and trifteras the earth affords, which are inconfiderable whether to keep or lofe; but for fuch as heaven holds forth, Inch an enemy,. and fuch a prize makes it a matter of our greateft care, how to manage the combate. The word thus opened, the note will be this: 37 SECT. IL The chief prize for which we wreftle againft Satan is heaven- D ly. Or thus, Satans main defigne is to fpoil and plunder the Chriftian of all that is heavenly. Indeed all the Chriftian bath, or defies as a Chriftihn is heavenly ; the world is extriniecal, both to his beingandhappineffe ; it is a ftranger-to the Chriftk. an, and intermeddles not with his joy nor grief. Heap all the riches and honours of the world upon a man, they will not make him a Chriftian ; heap them on a Chriftian, they will not make him abetter Chriftian. Again, take them all away, let e - very birdhave his feather, when ftript and naked he will ftill be r 2 --1

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