284 Evidences ofDi~hze Wifdom Gcd in depriving him of his Glory. Hereon upon the di– ftance that he had made between God and Man,he interpofed himfelf, and boafl:ed himfelf for a long feafon, a.s the God of thiJ f;Vorld, who h<id all power over it and in it. It belonged unto the Honour-of the Wifclom ofGod, that he fl10uld be defeated in tnis trimnph. Neither was it meet thatthis fl1ould be done by a meer afrof Sovera.g,n Omnipotent Power. For he would yet glory in his craft and the fuccefs of it, that there was no way to difappoint him, ~ut by crufl1ing him with power, without rtJfpefr unto Rig,hteorifnefl, or demonfira– tion of 'Y ifdom. . Wherefore it n:ufr be done in fuch a way, as wherem he m1ght fee unto Ius eternalfl1anie and confu– fion, all his Arts and Subtilties defeated by Infinite Wifdom, and his enterprize overthrown in away ofRight and Equity. .The Remark that the Holy Ghofi puts on the Serpent which was his Infirument in drawing man unto Apofiafy from God, namely, that he wasfu/Jtle above all the beafls of the field, is only to intimate wherein Satan deligned his attempt, and from whence he hoped for his fuccefs. It was not an All of Power or Rage, but of Craft, Counftl, Subtilty·and Deceit. Herein he gloried and prided himfelf; wherefore the way to difappoint him with ihame, mufi be a contrivance qfin– finite T11 ifclom, turning all his Artifices into meer folly. This work of God with refpefr unto him is expreffed in the Scripture two waies ; Firfi, It is called the Jpoiling of him, as unto his "Power, and the Prey that he had taken. The f/rong, man armed was to be bound, and his goods fpoiled. The Lord Chrifi by his Death deflroyed him that had the Power of Death, that is, the Devil. He lead Captivity captive, fpoiling Principalities and Powers, triumphing over them in his Crofs. So Abrahamwhen he fmote the Kings, not only delivered L ot who was their captive, but alfo took all their ' J}oils. Again, it is expre!fed by the dejlruflion of his·works. For
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