Book IV. WICKED MEN COMPARI:D TO TH E DEVIL. 8 I I M urderers ; their Feet run fwift to fhed Bloocl. H ow many T houfands of innocen r Souls have the bloody Roman D evils Jelh nyed wa hin thele twdve hundred Years! They delight ir> fpoiling, and making defol are the Inhabitants of the Earth, who op– pofe their Pride, or franc! in the Way of their E xaltation; and thence they are called Lions and Dragons likewife, Pfal. xxxvii. 4· Pfal. xliv. ' 9· XII. T he Devil would fain make thofe who fear God miferable in this World, loe envieo their H appinefs, and if he was but let loofe upon them, he would utterly de– prive them of their Goods, of their Children, of their H ealth, &c. and bring them into a forlorn and miferable Condition, as he dealt with holy 'Job: So fome wicked M en in this are like the Devil, they envy the Peace and Profperity of GQd's People, and if God did nor refrrain them, were it in their Power, they would rob them of all their Goods, as fome have attempted of late, nay, and ddl:roy their Offspring. How many innocent Babes did the P apitls denroy in the Maffacre in Ireland, crying out, Spare them not, Nits will become Lice! They grutch them their Libertr; and therefore, faith God, 'Ihe Deviljhall cafl fome of you into Prifon, &c. Rev. ii. ro. Is the Devil come to be a Purfuivant, or ari Officer, or to give vVarrants to call: into Pri– fon? No, but it is fpoken of wicked Perfecurors, that the Devil fets on work. XIII. The Devil is an Accufer, one that vilifies and reproaches all fincere Chrirli– ans; he is called the Accufer of th'e Brethren: Wicked Men are in this alfo like the Devil, they love to accufe and vilify the Godly in the Land; as 'Iertullus ferved Paul, We have found this Man a pejtilent Fellow, a Mover of Sedition, &c.' Afls xxiv. 3, 5· They continually labor to render them odious, that fo they might be hated, and ex– pofed to the Severity of the Law, and mercilefs Rage of the rude Rabble. XIV. The Devil is utterly calt off and forfaken of God, and !hall have his Portion in the Lake; there is no hope left him for an Efcape ; he knows it will for ever be his Portion : So fame wicked Men are utterly rejeCled of God, and given up to a repro– bate Mind, and there is no Hope left for them of efcaping the Damnation of Hell ; they fhall as furely be damned and tormented for ever and ever, as ir is certain the Devils !hall. So that in thefe, and many other Things thar I fhall pafs by, it appears, wicked Men bear a refemblance of the Devil, they are like unto h,m, they have the Image of the D evil upon them; Sin turns a Man into a DevilHave not I chojen )'OU twelve? and one of you is a Devil, 'John vi. 70. D S P A R ~ Y. THE Devil is a Spirit, a created Spirit; wicked Men are Flefh as well as Spirit. Now the Nature of a Spirit in very many Things differs from an human Body, to that in divers refpeCls, there is a great Difference between the Devil and the Ungodly. I N F E R E N C E ~ I. NO marvel wicked Men and the Saints agree no better. I!. 0 what a fearful Thing is it to be left and forfaken of God ! Ill. No marvel wicked Men flrive fo much to fet up and erlablifh the Devil's King• dom, feeing they are ac:l:ed by like Principles, and are alike Enemies of God. IV. The Godly may wonder they are not long ago ddl:royed, confidering the curfed and devilifh Difpofition of wicked Men, among{t whom they live; it is God only that hath reltrained them. THE
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