"life is hid with Chrift in God." Thus then you fee, that it is a clear truth, that Chrift the Son of God deftroys the works of the devil.

The fecond thing here is, to inquire, how is it that Chrift deftroys the works of the devil? I anfwer, Chrift deftroys the works of the devil four ways. 1. By the virtue of his blood. 2. By the light of his word. 3. By the power and efficacy of his Spirit. 4. By the prudence of his government and admi

niftration.

1. I fay, Chrift deftroys the works of the devil by the virtue of his blood. Now, when I fpeak of the blood or death of Chrift, I understand the whole of his fatisfaction, including his perfect active obedience unto the mandatory part of the law, as well as his fuffering the minatory part of it in his death. Now, I fay, by the death of Chrift, in this extensive view, Satan and his works are deftroyed. This, of all others, unto our fenfe and reason would appear to be the most improbable; and yet it was the best, and the only way how it could be accomplished. The power of Satan, and his whole deftroying works, are founded in fin; the obligation of the finner unto death, by virtue of the curfe of the law, was that which gave him all his power to destroy and ruin loft finners; and therefore, if that obligation be deftroyed, Satan's power and all his works of darkness muft of courfe diffolve; the foundation being deftroyed, all that is lying upon it must fall to the ground. Now, this was done in the death of Chrift; juftice was fatisfied, reconciliation made for iniquity, the finner redeemed from the curfe, he being made a curse for us; and whenever the finner by faith clofes with Chrift as crucified, or comes to the blood of sprinkling, the fentence paffes, Rom. viii. 1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus."

2. Christ destroys the works of the devil by the light of his word. This is that weapon which is "not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of ftrong-holds, to the cafting down of imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of Chrift." When Chrift fent out his difciples to preach the gospel through the cities of Ifrael, Satan's kingdom fell down before it like lightning; and when Chrift fent out his apoftles through the world, in order to overturn the kingdom of Satan, the weapon he put in their hand was juft the word of the gofpel; "Go teach all nations; Go preach the gofpel unto every creature" go manifeft the Son of God, and what he has done and fuffered for the redemption of finners. And accordingly they went and preached the gospel of the kingdom; and fuch was the power

that

that accompanied it, that the idolatries of the nations fell down apace before it. It is very obfervable, that, upon the very external manifestation of the gospel, the grofs works of the devil fell down. In the time of Paganifm and Popery, the devil used to appear and converse with men and women in a familiar way, and they worshipped and ferved him as though he had been a god; but, upon the entry of the gofpel, he quitted that grofs way of doing, and betook himself to a more fecret and *fubtle way of ruining fouls, by foftering them in fecurity, pride, enmity, unbelief, and such spiritual wickedneffes. And whereever the gospel comes with power, he is driven out of these high places alfo.

3. Chrift deftroys the works of the devil by the efficacy of his Spirit, whereby the virtue of his blood, and evidence of the word, is carried in upon the foul; for it is the Spirit that applies to us the redemption purchased by the blood of Christ, and manifefted and exhibited in his word. There could be no efficacy in the word, in itself confidered, for destroying the works of the devil, without the concurring power of the Holy Ghoft, who, upon this very account, is called a "Spirit of power: Not by might, nor by power of man, but by my Spirit, faith the Lord of hofts." And O, when the Spirit of the Lord comes along with the revelation and difpenfation of the word, then the devil's prifoners are loofed, the captives of the mighty are delivered, and the foul that was bound for many years with the devil's chains is raised up, and made "partaker of the glorious liberty of the fons of God."

4. Chrift destroys the works of the devil by the prudence and wisdom of his government and administration, of which you have an account, If. xi. 2-4. &c. Chrift is given as a head of government unto his church, and the fceptre of power is put in his hand, a rod of strength, and a rod of iron, whereby he dashes his moft powerful enemies in pieces as a potter's veffel: he is "made head over all things unto the church, which is his body." And that he may be in a better capacity to manage the reins of government for the benefit of his myf tical body, and the great ends of their falvation," all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him; so that his administration is unerring and infallible. Satan the old ferpent, and his agents, they are continually plotting the ruin and overthrow of the intereft of Chrift in the world; fometimes by fraud, and fometimes by force and violence, they endeavour to make the work to ceafe, and never more than at the present time; but Chrift, by the prudence, wisdom, and energy of his government, he counteracts all the deep-laid plots of of hell, fo as they never have, nor ever shall be able to

the

gates

prevail

prevail to the overthrow of his work and interest ; "He takes the wife in their own craftiness, and turns the counsel of the froward headlong." Thus you fee how it is that Chrift deftroys the works of the devil.

The third thing was, to condefcend upon fome particular times and feafons wherein Chrift deftroys the works of the devil.

1. The day of Chrift's death gave a notable blow, as I told you just now, unto the devil's kingdom; for then he "spoiled principalities and powers, and made an open fhew of them" before God and the holy angels. Men and devils, to the world's view, were triumphing over Chrift; but Chrift at the fame time was triumphing over them before the invisible world of spirits. The "hand-writing that was against us," and from which the devil derived all his authority and power in this world, was torn and cancelled.

2. The day of Christ's refurrection gave a fignal blow to the works of the devil; for he "rofe for our juftification." The devil, the Jews and Romans, they thought they had obtained the victory over Chrift, when they got him in the grave, and his ftone fealed: but "he was taken from prifon and from judgement;" by an order from Heaven, the ftone was rolled away from the door of the fepulchre, and he comes forth carrying the fpoils of death and hell in his hand, and carrying alfo the discharge of the debt of a whole elect world in his hand, &c.

3. The day of Chrift's afcenfion into heaven was a notable deftruction unto Satan and his works; for," when he afcended up on high, he led captivity captive;" he opened a paffage between this world and heaven, through the territories of the prince of the power of the air, by which all his friends might follow him to glory. And O how did it torment the devil, when Chrift went through the air in triumph with his "twenty thoufand chariots of angels," every one crying, "God is gone up with a fhout, the Lord with the found of a trumpet fing praifes to God, fing praises; fing praises unto our King, fing praises!"

4. In the day of Pentecoft Chrift gave another ftroke to the devil and his works. When Chrift newly fat down on his throne of glory, poured out his Spirit upon his apostles in an extraordinary manner, enabling them to work miracles, and to preach the gofpel in all languages, that it might spread through all the known world; how did Satan's kingdom begin to fall, when at one fermon three thousand fouls were plucked out of his kingdom, and added to the church of Chrift! And, from that time forward, how did the light of the gofpel fly like lightning

lightning from one end of the world (as it were) to the other, infomuch, as the apostle obferves, Rom. x. 18. " their found (in a little time) went unto the ends of the earth?" And to this I may add, that when at any time the renowned Captain of falvation "girds his fword upon his thigh, and rides prof peroufly" in his chariot of truth, "making the people to fall under him," convincing and converting finners unto his knowledge and obedience, that is a time when Chrift deftroys the works of the devil, and pulls down his ftrong-holds.

5. The day of a finner's believing in Christ is a time when Satan's works are deftroyed. It is the great defign of hell, to flander God and his word among the children of men, as though he were not worthy of credit: thus he flandered him to our first parents; Hath God faid fo and fo? Now, when a finner is brought to "fet to his feal that God is true," and is made to give fuch credit unto the record of God that he ventures his eternal falvation upon the veracity of a God of truth; this, I fay, is just a stab (as it were) given the devil's heart, who "abode not in the truth" of God himself, and cannot endure to fee any poor finners abiding in it. The fame I may fay with refpect unto every renewed act of faith on Chrift, upon the footing of the promise of a God of truth; hence we are told, that it is by faith as a field that we “ quench the fiery darts of Satan."

6. Times of efpoufals, nearnefs betwixt God and a foul, are times of destroying the works of the devil. It was the great plot of hell, as you heard, to separate between God and man; and how doth it gall that enemy to the heart, when he fees himfelf defeated, and the poor foul, that was through his means put far off from God, brought so nigh unto him, that he is juft taken up, and taken in to the "chariot of the wood of Lebanon," and made to "fit down under his fhadow with great delight," having the banner of love difplayed over it? Sirs, every new manifestation of the Son of God unto the foul gives a wound unto Satan's intereft in the foul; it weakens unbelief, pride, carnality, hypocrify, enmity, and the other branches of the body of fin and death.

7. When at any time an honourable teftimony is given to the Lord, to the doctrine, difcipline, worship, and government of his church, in a day of uncommon defection and backfliding. It is the great work of the devil to fow the tares of error, and corruption, and tyranny, and difcord, and divifion, in a church; and when thefe evils are "coming in like a flood," the Lord fpirits any of his faints or fervants to lift up the banner, and to teftify against these works of the devil, and to dismantle them of their fair colours under which they are

carried

carried on; this, i fay, torments the devil, and thofe that live under his government, as you read, Kev. xi. And Chrift's kingdom and intereft in all ages of the world, particularly in this church, has been maintained by a faithful witnessing for the Lord and his way, in oppofition to errors and corruptions, &c.

8. When a believer dies, and goes away to glory, under a guard of angels, along that lan or road that Chrift opened when he afcended, to take poffeffion of these vacant thrones that the devil deferted, when he "left his first habitation;" what a vexation is it unto that proud fpirit, to fee the poor believer, whom he toffed and tempted many a day in this lower world, going up in a triumphant manner to fit down on the throne he himself once fat upon ? &c.

The fourth thing here was, to give the reafons why Christ the on of God is manifefted to defroy the works of the devil, Unto this I answer in thefe particulars.

i. Chrift encounters this enemy, and deftroys his works, because it was his Father's will and pleasure; and he did always these things that pleafed his Father, rejoicing always before him." delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I lay down my life of myfelt; this commandment have I received of my Father." The devil by his works had affronted and difhonoured the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and Chrift rejoiced to refent his Father's quarrel upon this enemy.

2. Christ destroys the works of the devil, because it was for his own honour to engage in this expedition. There is a new revenue of glory accrues to the crown of Christ, as Mediator, by this undertaking. All the ranfomed in glory, through eternity, will be celebrating the glory of his atchievements, whereby "through death he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Hence the ranfomed, Rev. v. 9. cry, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to loose the fe ven feals thereof; for thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood."

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3. Chrift deftroys the works of the devil, out of the ancient and wonderful love that he did bear to man upon earth, particularly to that remnant of Adam's family which were given him by the Father from all eternity. It was the love of the Father that fent him, and it was the love of the Son that made him come to deliver us out of the paw of the roaring lion, when we were ready to be devoured of him. "He loved me (says Paul), and gave himself for me." And O the love of Chrift in this matter, it paffes all understanding.

4. Out of regard to his own law, which the devil by his works