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works had difhonoured. The devil made it his business to abrogate and abolish the law of God from among the children of men, that it might not be the rule of their actions; and fuch is the devil's fpite and malice against Heaven, that, if it were poffible, he would not leave the leaft print of it in the world: but now, Christ had such a regard for the honour of the law, that he would magnify it, and make it honourable," both as a covenant and as a rule; "I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it."

5. Chrift deftroys the works of the devil, that he may "still this enemy and avenger." When the devil had fo far prevailed, as to deface the image of God upon man, to bring him under the curfe, and to draw him into a confederacy against God with himself, he thought that he had carried the day, and that now man, and all this lower world, was his own; and he was no doubt faying, like proud Pharaoh, "Now will I divide the fpoil;" I will tear, and devour, and rage as I have a mind. But how is this enemy ftilled, filenced, and confounded, when he fees all his game spoiled, and his kingdom ruined, his head. bruifed, by the child born, and the fon given to us, whose name is "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace?

6. He deftroys the works of the devil, for the illuftration and manifestation of all the divine perfections. The wisdom of God is manifested in outwitting all the policy of hell, and "taking the wife in their own craftinefs, and turning his counsel headlong" the power of God, in "fpoiling principalities and powers," and in bringing life out of death, and light out of darkness, falvation out of mifery, and "glory to God in the higheft" out of that which had the greatest tendency to dishonour him: the holiness of God, in expreffing the greatest hatred and indignation against fin, as the abominable thing which his foul hates: his justice, in the execution of the penalty of the law upon the Surety, and justifying the ungodly upon the footing of a better righteoufnefs than ever Adam had before he fell the goodness, love, and mercy of God, in find ing a ransom, that we might not go down to the pit: his truth and faithfulness, in taking care that the threatening of the law fhould be fulfilled in the fufferings of Chrift, and in fulfilling that ancient promife of the feed of the woman his bruifing the ferpent's head, after the delay of four thousand years; the accomplishment of which is a glorious fecurity for his accomplishing every other promife of the word. Thus you fee why the Son of God deftroys the works of the

devil.

VOL II.

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V. The laft thing in the method was the use of the doctrine, which I fhall difpatch in the following inferences.

1. See hence a glorious ray of the Godhead or fupreme independent Deity of the glorious Redeemer. Why, he is here exprefsly called the Son of God, the fecond perfon of the glo rious Trinity, one God with the Father: and the work here afcribed to him declares him to be none other than the mighty, yea, the almighty God; for who elfe could deftroy the works of the devil? He is "God manifefted in the flesh, the great God, God bleffed for ever, and God over all:" his name is JEHOVAH, "most high over all the earth.”

2. See hence how the kindness and love of God hath appeared toward man upon earth. Why, here is the greatest evidence of it that was poflible for God to give; he fends his own Son upon an expedition into this lower world, arms him with his power and authority, as the Captain of falvation and Redeemer, to avenge his own and our quarrel (which, in his infinite wifdom, he knits together) upon that Abaddon and Apollyon the devil, the deceiver and destroyer of mankind: when he gave him his commiffion, he promised to support him, that his arm fhould be with him, &c. in order to bruife the head of that en my, &c.

3. See hence the evil of fin, and the folly of thofe that are in love with it, and give themfelves up to its power and fervice. Why, it is juft the work of the devil, his main work, and the strength of his kingdom. What a pitiful thing is it to be the devil's drudge, to do the devil's work, to lick up his vomit, and the poison of the old ferpent? &c.

4. See hence a good reason why the believer is at war with fin in himself, and where-ever he finds it. Why, he takes it up as the work of the devil that Chrift came to destroy; and therefore he denounces war against it, where-ever he finds it. He has lifted himself a volunteer under Chrift in a day of power, to help down with the works of the devil all that he can; and therefore he refifts the devil and his temptations unto fin, and " refifts even unto blood, striving against fin."

5. See hence what is the ground of that ftrong oppofition that is made at this day against the fettlement of honeft minifters through Scotland. Why, the devil, and thofe that take part with him, are afraid that, if a faithful miniftry were fettled in congregations, Chrift the Son of God would be manifefted in the difpenfation of the gofpel, and his works in the hearts of finners would be deftroyed. What a melancholy thing is it to fee the intereft and influence that the devil has at this day, even in the judicatories of the church, to employ that power, which they have derived from Chrift, against his,

and

and for the devil's intereft! The devil knows well enough, that that man that is thruft in upon a people without and against their will, is never like to do his kingdom harm; and therefore he pushes on men under his influence, to carry on the fettlements of congregations with a high hand, with lax, little-worth young men, that have little or no knowledge of the devices of the devil, or of the work of grace upon their fouls. If the devil fee a man whom God has qualified with gifts and grace for preaching the gofpel, for edifying fouls, or pulling down the devil's kingdom, he will fet all his forces against that man, and reproach him as a turbulent dangerous man, that would turn the world upfide-down.

6. See hence whence it is that the teftimony of the witneffes, Rev. xi. is faid to " torment them that dwell upon the earth." By (6 men that dwell upon the earth," is just meant men of earthly fenfual fpirits, the "men of the world, whofe portion is in this life;" they are funk in this earth, and have no juft notion of the things of heaven, or the things of the kingdom of Chrift; men under the power of the god of this world. Why, a teftimony for Christ, and his injured cause, cannot miss to torment them, because it difturbs the ftrong man in the peaceable poffeffion of the house, it discovers the ways and works of the devil that men are promoting; and this cannot mifs to gall, and vex, and torment them: and therefore all care must be taken by those who are on the devil's fide, to bury the witneffes and their testimony also.

7. See hence why hell and earth took the alarm when Chrift appeared in the world; or we may see an answer to that queftion, Pfal. ii. Why do the heathen rage? &c. Why, it is against the Lord's Meffiah, who came to deftroy the works of the devil. You know, if a foreign enemy enter a kingdom, the king and all his fubjects will take arms to oppose him: Christ was a foreigner, he came to invade the devil's kingdom, and set up his own.

8. See hence why the devils cried out when Chrift was upon earth, “Art thou come to torment us before our time ?" and why the devils believe and tremble. Why, they know that Chrift is to deftroy all their works, and this torments them. The name of the Son of God is the terror of hell, because he "finishes tranfgreffion, and makes an end of fin," whereby his kingdom falls in the world.

9. See the mystery of the converfion of the thief upon the crofs. Why, Chrift would fhow his power and ability to defroy the works of the devil in a poor foul, and to pull a captive out of his hand, even when he feemed to be at the lowest, or when he was really in the loweft ftep of his humiliation.

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10. See hence, that we in this land and generation, cannot mifs a fharp stroke from the Lord. Why, the works of the devil are prevailing in our day; error, ignorance, unbelief, pride, fulness of bread, idleness, Atheism, fecurity, curfing, fwearing, Sabbath-breaking, contempt of the gofpel, barrennefs under the means of grace; yea, we are come that length, that even in the established church, and in the courts of Chrift that are conftitute in his name, iniquity is eftablished by a law, whereby the avowed enemies of the intereft of Chrift have their hand and power fet up, and the poor members of Chrift oppreffed and caft out, as though they were the drofs and off-scourings of the earth. Sirs, there feems to be a formed defign and confpiracy among the prophets in our day, to crush and fupprefs all that have the leaft fhew of ferious religion and godliness. Now, I fay, when the works of the devil so much prevail, and men are (as it were) avowing the devil's works, and defending them, have we not reason to think that the Lord will vifit for thefe things, and that he will fome way or other be "avenged on fuch a nation as this?" When finners will maintain and fupport the works of the devil among them, in oppofition to the manifestation of the Son of God in the gospel; when they turn a deaf ear, and pull away the fhoulder, and refuse obedience unto his laws; then commonly he manifefteth himfelf in a way of fome awful providence, he puts on his terrible majefty, and clothes himself with vengeance, to destroy these rebels, Matth. xxii. Matth. xxiii. at the clofe, their house was left unto them defolate, and they and their temple, city, and nation, utterly deftroyed, because they would not receive the Son of God, manifefted firft in the flesh, and then in the miniftry of his apoftles.

11. See one great reafon why believers breathe fo much after manifeftations of the Lord: "O that I knew where I might find him! O to fee thy power and glory, as I have seen thee in the fanctuary! O when wilt thou come unto me?" Why, here is one great reafon for it, because by the manifeftation of Chrift, the works of the devil in their fouls are deftroyed. Sin, ignorance, unbelief, pride, enmity, and the other parts of a body of fin, they get a wound by Christ's appearing and manifefting himfelf: all thefe locuits of hell are either killed, or obliged, like wild beafts, to creep into their holes, and difappear, when the Sun of righteousness begins to fhine. And to this I may join another inference, namely, It lets us fee why believers do weary fo much in the Lord's abfence, and cry for his prefence. Why, while he is abfent, the "enemy comes in like a flood," the works of

the

the devil get up their head, and this is the burden of the poor

foul.

12. From this doctrine we may fee how much it is our common to keep up the memorials of a Redeemer's death, and why the truly godly love to flock to a facrament. Why, by the death of Chrift efpecially, a dead ftroke was given unto the kingdom of Satan and his works, and therefore they love to fhew forth his death till he come again; and because in this ordinance the Lord frequently manifefts himself unto the fouls of his people, fo as he doth not manifeft himself unto the world. By viewing him, and his death and blood in that ordinance, they get fresh courage to fight their way through the wilderness, knowing that " through death Chrift has deftroyed him that had the power of death."

Ufe fecond may be of Trial, whether the Son of God was ever favingly manifefted to thy foul. Sirs, here is a touchflone to try your manifeftations, whether they be genuine : why, whenever Chrift is manifefted in a faving way, the tendency of it is to deftroy the devil's works; for, for this purpose the Son of God was manifefted, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Hence is that inteftine war that the believer finds in his breast after he comes once to know the Lord. "What wilt thou fee in the Shulamite ? as it were the company of two armies. The flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh." O many a heavy groan goes up to heaven from the heart of the believer, when he finds the works of the devil prevailing in his foul? "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of fin and death!".

1. If ever the Son of God was manifefted in thy foul, if ever the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift, fhined into thy heart," thou wilt be ay clear for pulling down the works of the devil, and for building up the works of the Son of God. Here I might tell you of feveral works of the devil that you will ftudy to pull down, and fome works of Chrift that ye will study to build up.

A, You will pull down felf-righteousness, and put on the righteousness of Chrift. Self-righteoufnefs is one of the main works of the devil. Indeed it is hard to convince a man that is obeying the law as well as he can for his life and acceptance before God, that he is working the devil's work: no, you will fooner faften a conviction upon publicans and hariots than upon him, becaufe he thinks he has the law of God on his fide; and then, when he is obeying the law, he thinks he is doing God a fervice, and working the works of God. But,

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