and billows to arise, as shall swallow up fhips and men; he can make fuch furges as fhall fwell over banks. It is Mr. Gurnal's expreffion,' He can hurl the fea into fuch commotion, that the depths fhall boil like a pot, as if hea ven and earth would meet.' I cannot but think the devil was in that storm, when the waves beat into the ship where Chrift flept, for being awoke, He rebuked the wind, and faid unto the fea, peace, be ftill.' (Phimotheti) a word that fometimes he uses to the devil, Luke iv. 35. q. d. be muffled Satan, thou stirreft these waves, (Mark iv. 39.) had my defciples believed, as they fhould have done, thou hadft not done this. By faith Satan avoides, and by diffidence Satan re-enters, and is full of rage. 4. The earth is his element over which he rangeth; when the Lord asked him,' Whence comeft thou Satan? he answered from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it,' Job i. 7. Satan here fpeaks like a prince that had gone about his countries to view his provinces, his kingdoms and cities, I come (faith he) from vifiting my several places and dominions. And though his intent be to devour men, yet in reference to this very element, he can cause earth quakes, throw down the strongest buildings, root up the best settled trees, and move all things.

2. For the fenfible part of the world, he can enter into the bodies of beafts, and act them at his pleasure. We have one notable inftance of a 'legion of devils, entering into an ' herd of fwine, and the herd ran violently down a steep ' place into the fea (they were about 2000) and were choak. ed in the fea,' Matth. v. 13. An eafy thing it is with Satan to hurry up and down the bodies of beasts, and to make them with violence rush hither and thither. And they have no less power on the bodies of men; have they not poffeffed them, and made them lunatic, and fo vexed them that they have oftentimes fallen into the fire, and oftentimes in to the water? Mat. xvii. 15. Nay, have they not made fome deaf and dumb, dafhing and tearing them, till they foamed and gnashed with their teeth, and even pined eway? Or (if I may fay more) have they not fometimes carried and hurried up and down even in the air, the bodies of men? I could inftance in that facred body of

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Chrift, whom the devil took up into the holy city, and set ⚫ him on a pinnacle of the temple; and after took him up ⚫ again into an exceeding high mountain, and there shew⚫ed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,' Matth. iv. 5, 8. That Satan can tranfport the bodies of witches, many hiftories record; and that he can bewitch the bodies of unbelievers, none will deny: but the fcripture speaks of a power that the devil hath over Chrift's body, and elfewhere of a like power that he had over the bodies of the faints. Job is one inftance, and the daughter of that woman of Canaan, that was a daughter of Abraham, may ferve for another instance: and if the Lord should not reftrain the malice and power of the adverfary, we might have as many inftances as there are men and women in the world.

3. For the fouls of men, which we call the intellectual part of the world, He hath a great power over them. 1. He can work on the understanding; he can penetrate into the fancy, which is the organ of internal fenfes, and move those phantafms he finds there, and by that means excite various thoughts in the understanding, and perfwade to this or that. Do we not experience his power within us? do we not perceive evil thoughts injected into our minds againft our wills; not that Satan imports any new thing into our minds, which he found not in our fancies before. It is ufually delivered in the schools, That the devil cannot put into the fancy new fpecies of things, and fuch as the fenfes had never any knowledge of; as he cannot make a man born blind, to dream of colours, and their differenBut he can make many compofitions and deductions of those various phantafms he finds within, and accordingly move the understanding to this or that. 2. He can move the will; I cannot fay that abfolutely he can determine it. The bowing, bending, and turning and forming of the will efficaciously is only proper to God; yet can the devil act fomething as towards the will, and his acting carries a kind of power with it, tho' God only can determine it. The will may be faid to be moved or bowed two ways, either inwardly or outwardly. The internal mover or agent, is either our own natural inclination and propenfion to its

ces.

object,

object, or God himfelf who is the author of that inclination: Now in this way, there is nothing can move the will but God and ourselves. The external mover or principle, is either the object propounded to the will, the understanding having apprehended it as good; or the affections and concupifcence which refide in the fenfitive appetite, for by them is the will often feduced, and drawn to consent. Very paffions can make that many things which are evil, may feem good to the will, and fo incline it to embrace them. Now this is certain, that devils can propound an object; and they can move, and trouble, and affect our passions ; they can stir up wrath, pride, covetoufness, lufts, in men; and therefore externally they cannot move the will.

3. The rulers of the darkness of this world. Thefe words hold forth the proper feat of the devil's empire; he is not lord over all, that is the incommunicable title of God, but

a ruler of the darkness of this world.' Where the time and place, and fubjects of his empire are fet down and limited.

1. The time when he rules, it is during the time of this world. Immediately after Adam's fall he began his rule, and while the world ftands he will continue it without any change or alteration. Here is a difference betwixt the devil and any human power; for thele have but a fhort time, The fame man that rules now, will be dethroned within a few days, or months, or years, by death if not by treafon: Or fuppofe his line, or model of government continue longer, yet fome obferve that fcarce any rule continues in one form above 600 years continuance. See Abraham's time from the promise of his feed, to the giving of the law 430 years; fee Ifrael's time from their going out of Egypt to the building of the temple 480 years; fee David's time from the anointing of him king to the death of Zedekiah 470 years what fay we to our kingdoms? Cæfar's time betwixt his invafion and the rule of Valentinian 500 years; the Saxons time betwixt their heptarchy and Egbert's monarchy 460 years; the Norman's time and the union of whole Britain 536 years. On what unfureness is majesty poffeft, that within a few year's time, fo much is altered? But the devil hath a longer time, even fo long as the world lafts, from the beginning to the end, until time fhall be

no more. Indeed when the frame of this world shall be taken down, then fhall the devil be degraded, his crown taken off, his fword broken over his head, and he himself become a clofe prifoner in hell. In the mean time he rules, and he will rule during the time of this prefent world.

2. The place where he rules, it is here in this world below. He was a bright angel in heaven, and he fometimes ruled there; but he would not keep in his own chair of estate, and therefore afpiring higher, he fell down to this nether world, and here now he rules. In the air, and here about the earth, devils have their manfions, and here they tempt, feduce, and do all the mischief they can do to the fons of men. I know it is our sadness and trouble, that they are amongst us: Wo, wo, wo to the inhabitants of the earth in this refpect, Rev. viii, 13. and yet here is the joy of the faints, they have no power or rule in heaven, whence they are fallen, and where the faints happiness must for ever be: Well may this make us long for heaven, whilst we are on earth. Soldiers in tedious and dangerous voyages cannot but defire earnestly after victory. Oh (may we think) how welcome will triumph, and leading captivity captive be after war! As the hopes of a fafe haven is to the mariners toffed up and down in troublesome feas; fo is heaven to Chriftians, whofe life in this world is a warfare. O friends, look after heaven, for on earth is many a fnare, and many a gin, and many a plot of Satan to undo your fouls, and to fubject you to his rule.

3. The fubjects or perfons whom he rules; they are the darkness of this world, i. e. fuch as have no life of grace, no light of knowlege; for by darkness is meant fuch who are in darkness, and they are of two forts: First, Those who are in a state of fin, called the work of darkness. 2dly, Thofe who are in a state of ignorance compared to darkness; 'Ye' were fometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord,' Epb. v. II. and v. 8. But I am difcovering the prince or ruler, and not his vaffals; and therefore I fhall pretermit this title, and come to the next.

4. Spiritual wickedneffes. They are not styled wicked fpirits, or fpiritual wicked ones; but in the abftract, fpiritual wickednesses. Oh, what enemies are thefe?

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They are fpirits and not bodies. If we had only to deal with flesh and blood, whether men or beafts, it were not fo very much, though very terrible.. But we wrestle, not with flesh and blood, but with fpiritual fubftances, with invifible fpirits. An arm of fiefh against poor fleshly creatures were enough to startle us; Oh, what ftartling, frighting work have we had within thefe very few years? But how much more startling is an arm of fpirits that can reach to fpirits? That know how to fight with us at all times, in all conditions, in all postures; whether we are alone or in company, idle or employed, fleeping or wak ing? That cap fight invifibly, when we cannot fee them; for as their nature, fo are their affaults: Such as by the eyes of flesh and blood cannot be feen. 2. They are wickedneffes, as by nature they are fpirits, fo by their conditi on they are evil and malicious fpirits; fpiritual wickednef fes, or fpirits of wickedness, i.e. most monftruously wicked and malicious fpirits. Some obferve that the devil hath. his name ( poneros) the wicked one, to denote his fpiteful nature; he is not barely wicked, but maliciously wicked, he cannot endure that fouls of men should fare any better than himself; and therefore he makes it his trade, his delight, his main work to damn fouls, 3. Some yet gq higher, faying, that these spiritual wickednefs are fuch, as provoke men to wickedneffes of a spiritual nature; wę wrestle, (faith apostle) against whom? it is in the original (pros ta pneumatica tes penerias) i. e. against the fpirituals of wickedness; as if these wicked fpirits fhould make it their great defign, not only to befet us with grofs and fleshly fins, but with fias fpiritualized, or with, fpiritual, wickedneffes, fuch as unbelief, pride, hypocrify, idolatry, blafphemy, &c. As black as devils are, they can, if they will, appear as angels of light, and accordingly fuit their temptations of the fineft make.

But what is meant by the laf word, in heavenlinefs? I cannot fay, heavenly places, but heavenly things: As if the apostle should fay, the caufe of this fight is not for earthly things, it is an otherwife quarrel than is ufual with us in our battles. Devils will not fight for lands or livipgs, for riches or mines of gold, but for heavenly things;

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they