Satans Temptations in Three Parts, Part 1 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Of Satan's Power. His Power as an Angel conſidered. That he loſt not that Power by his Fall. His Power as a Devil. Of his Commiſſion. The Extent of his Authority. The Efficacy of his Power. The Advantages which he hath for the management of it, from the Number, Order, Place, and Knowledge of Devils.
THat Satan's Power is Great, is our next Enquiry: Where, Firſt, we will conſider his Power as an Angel. In Pſalm. 103. 20. Angels are ſaid to excel in ſtrength: and in verſ. 21. as alſo Pſal. 148. 2. they are called God's Hoſt; which is more fully expreſſed,foreign 1 Kings 22. 19. I ſaw the Lord ſitting upon his Throne, and all the Hoſt of Heaven ſtanding by him on his right hand and on his left: which phraſe, though it import their Order and Obſervance; yet undoubtedly the main of its intendment, is to ſet forth their Power, as Hoſts are the ſtrength of Kings and Nations. God himſelf in putting on that Title,foreign The Lord of Hoſts, makes it an evidence of his incomprehenſible Power, that ſuch Armies of ſtrong and mighty Creatures are at his command. But this only in the general. That which comes nearer to a particular account of their ſtrength, is that Notion of a Spirit, by which they are frequently deſcribed;Pſal. 104. 4. He maketh his Angels Spirits, his Miniſters flaming Fire. The being of a Spirit is the higheſt our underſtanding is able to reach, and that it ſhews a being very excellent, is manifeſt in this, that God is pleaſed to repreſent himſelf to us under the notion of a Spirit; Not that he is truly and properly ſuch, but that this is the moſt excellent Being that falls under our apprehenſion. Beſides, that the tearm Spirit, raiſeth our underſtanding to conceive a Being of an high and extraordinary Power; it doth further tend to form our conceptions to ſome apprehenſions of their Nature: (1.) From the knowledg that we have of our own Spirits; that our Spirit is of a vaſt comprehenſion and activity, our Thoughts, Deſires, Reaſonings, and the particular Undertakings of ſome Men of a raiſed Spirit, do abundantly evidence. (2.) In that it repreſents a Spiritual Being, freed from the clog and hinderance of corporeity, our own Spirits are limited and reſtrained by our Bodies, as Fire, an active Element, is retarded and made ſluggiſh by Matter unapt to ſerve its proper force, as when 'tis in an heap of Earth; which is alſo ſufficiently pointed at in that oppoſition betwixt Fleſh and Blood, and Principalities and Powers, Epheſ. 6. ſhewing that Fleſh and Blood are a diſadvantage and hinderance to the activity of a Spirit. A Spirit then, as in corporeal, may be conceived to move eaſily without moleſtation, quickly, imperceptibly and irreſiſtibly.. (3.) This is yet further illuſtrated by the Similitude of Wind and Fire, which are (to the common experience of all) of very great force. And 'tis yet further obſervable,foreign, Col. 1. 16. that the Scripture ſometime ſpeaks of the power of Angels in the Abſtract, chuſing rather to call them Powers than powerful; clearly ſhewing, that Angels are Beings of vaſt ſtrength, as indeed the Actions done by them do abundantly teſtifie; ſuch was the deſtroying Sennacheribs Hoſt in a night, the opening the Priſon Doors for Peter, the carrying Philip in the Air, and ſuch other Acts, which tend to the protection of the Faithful, or puniſhing of the wicked.
Though this may fully ſatisfie us that Angels excel in ſtrength, yet the Scripture ſuggeſts another conſideration relating to the Office and Imployment of Angels, where their Commiſſion ſhews not only a liberty for the Exerciſe of this Power, but alſo doth imply ſuch a Power as is fit to be commiſſionated to ſuch Acts; theſe Inviſible Beings are called Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, 1 Col. 16. 'Tis indeed a task beyond a ſober undertaking to diſtinguiſh theſe words,Quid inter ſe diſtant quatuor iſta vocabula, dicant qui poſſ…nt, ſi tamen poſſunt probare quae dicunt, ego me iſta ignorare confiteor. and to ſet their true Bounds and Marks of difference; This, Auguſtin acknowledged, yet may we hence conclude, (1.) that theſe words imply a very great Authority in Angels. (2.) A power and ſtrength ſuitable to their Imployment, and that God furniſhed them with power anſwerable to the Work which he intended for them, in his moving the Heavens, and governing the World, &c. However, in ſome Caſes, God works by Inſtruments every way diſproportionable to the Service,Enchirid. ad Laurent. c. 58. That the excellency of the Power might be of God; yet in the ordinary way of his working, he puts an innate, ſuitable force in Creatures, for the Acts to be done by them; as there is an innate Power in the Wind to blow, in the Fire to burn, in Herbs and Plants for Medicinal uſes. Thus may we conceive of Angels, that God uſing them as his Hoſt, his Miniſters to do his pleaſure; he hath indowed them with an innate natural Power for thoſe great things which he doth by them; which muſt not be ſuppoſed in the leaſt derogatory to the Power of God, in his ways of Mercies or Judgments, ſeeing all the ſtrength of Angels is originally from God: hence is it that all the Names of Angels which we read of in Scripture carry this acknowledgment in their ſignification; Michael thus unfolds it ſelf, Who is like God. Gabriel thus, The Glory of God; and therefore may we ſuppoſe them not ſo much the proper Names of Angels, but (as Calvin noteth) Nomina ad captum noſtrum indita, Inſtit. l. 1. c. 4. §. 8.Names implying God's great Power in them.
Such a powerful Spirit is Satan by Creation. But becauſe it will be doubted leſt his fall hath bereaved him of his excellency, and caſt him down from his ſtrength; I ſhall evidence that he ſtill retains the ſame natural Power: To which purpoſe, 'tis not unfit to be obſerved, (1.) that the ſame Terms and Names which were given to good Angels, to ſignifie their Strength and Commiſſion, Col. 1. 16. and 1. 10. are alſo given to Satan, Epheſ. 6. 12. Devils are called Principalities, Powers, Rulers; and Col. 2. 15. they have the ſame Names which in verſ. 10. were given to good Angels, he ſpoiled Principalities and Powers. (2.) The Scripture gives particular Inſtances of Satan's Power and Working, as his raiſing Tempeſts in the Air, commanding Fire from Heaven; both which he did in proſecution of his Malice againſt Job; his carrying the Bodies of Men in the Air, as he did with Chriſt, hurrying him from the Wilderneſs to the Mountain, from thence to the Pinacle of the Temple; his breaking Chains and Fetters of Iron, Mark 5. 4. His bringing Diſeaſes, inſtances whereof were that crooked Woman whom Satan had bowed together, Luke 13. 16. and the Lunatick Perſon, Luk. 9. 31. with a great many more. (3.) 'Tis alſo obſervable, that notwithſtanding Satan's fall hath made an alteration as to the Ends, Ʋſes, and Office of his Power; yet nevertheleſs God makes uſe of this ſtrength in him, not only as an Executioner of Wrath againſt his Enemies, (as when he vexed Saul by this Evil Spirit;1 Sam. 16. 14. and through this Lying Spirit, 1 King. 22. 21.gave up Ahab to be deluded into his ruin, and inflicted Plagues upon Egypt, Pſal. 78. 49.by ſending Evil Angels among them) but alſo for the tryal of his own Servants; thus was Job afflicted by Satan, and Paul buffeted by his Meſſenger.
Secondly; This Power of his, as a Devil, falls next under our conſideration, wherein are divers Particulars to be noted: As,
Firſt, His Commiſſion and Authority. If any put that Queſtion to him, which the Jews did to Chriſt; By what Authority doſt thou theſe things? or, Who gave thee this Authority? We have the Anſwer in John 12. 24. and 16. 11. where he is called the Prince of this World; and accordingly the Scripture ſpeaks of a two-fold Kingdom of Light and of Darkneſs; and in this we hear of Satan's Seat or Throne, of his Servants and Subjects. Yea, that which is more, the Scripture ſpeaks of a kind of Deity in Satan; he is called the God of this World, 2 Cor. 4. 4. Which doth not only ſet forth the intollerable pride and uſurpation of Satan in propounding himſelf as ſuch, ſo drawing on poor blind Creatures to worſhip him,Zancheus. but alſo diſcovers his Power, which by Commiſſion he hath obtained over the Children of Diſobedience. Hence doth he challenge it, as a kind of right and due from the poor Americans and others, that they ſhould fall down and worſhip him; and upon this Suppoſition was he ſo intollerably preſumptuous in offering the Kingdoms of the World to Chriſt for ſuch a Service and Worſhip.
If it be queſtioned,Q. What Satan's Authority is? I ſhall anſwer it thus.
Firſt;A. His Authority is not abſolute or unlimited; he cannot do what he pleaſeth, and therefore we do find him begging leave of God for the exerting of his Power in particular Caſes, as when he was a Lying Spirit in the Mouth of Ahab's Prophets, and in every Aſſault he made upon Job; nay, he could not enter into the Swine of the Gaderens, till he had Chriſt's Commiſſion for it.
Secondly; Yet hath he a Commiſſion in general, a ſtanding Commiſſion, as petty Kings and Governours had under the Roman Emperor, where they were authoriſed to exerciſe an Authority and Power, according to the Rules and Directions given them; this is clearly ſignified by thoſe Expreſſions, they are Captives at his Will—and given up to Satan, as Perſons Excommunicated; and when Men are converted, they are ſaid to be tranſlated from his Power, and put under another Juriſdiction, in the Kingdom of Chriſt. All which would have been highly improper, if a Commiſſion for Satan, and an Authority for thoſe Works of Darkneſs had not been ſignified by them.
Next let us view the Extent of this Authority, both as to Perſons and Things. In relation to Perſons, the boundary of his Kingdom reacheth as far as Darkneſs; he rules in the dark places of the Earth, or the darkneſs of this World; and therefore his Kingdom is hence denominated a Kingdom of Darkneſs. This extends (we may well imagine) as far as Heatheniſm reacheth, where he is worſhipped as God, as far as any darkneſs of Mahumetaniſm ſtretcheth it ſelf, as far as the darkneſs of Infidelity and blindneſs upon the hearts of unconverted Men, which if ſummed up together, muſt needs take up the greateſt part of the World by far; which is acknowledged, not only by that large Expreſſion, World, Prince of this World, &c. but alſo by that Prophetick Speech of Rev. 11. 15. The Kingdoms of this World, are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and his Chriſt; which acknowledgeth they had not been ſo before, in the ſenſe wherein we now ſpeak.
Neither is his Kingdom ſo bounded, but that he alſo can (when allowed) make Excurſions and Inroads into the Kingdom of Chriſt, ſo far as to moleſt, diſturb and annoy his Subjects: as the Kings of any Nation, beſides the Power which they Exerciſe in their proper Juriſdiction, may moleſt their Neighbours. And Chriſt ſo far permits this, as is uſeful to his own Deſigns, yet ſtill with ſtraiter reſerves and limitations to Satan, and a reſolved reſcue and conqueſt for his own People.
If we enquire the Extent of his Power in relation to things, we find the Air in a peculiar manner permitted to him, ſo that he is named by it, as by one of his chief Royalties, the Prince of the Power of the Air; we find alſo Death, with the Powers of it given up to him, ſo that this is a peraphraſis of him, He that hath the Power of Death, Heb. 2. 14. And if we take notice of his large proffer to Chriſt of the Kingdoms of the World, All this will I give thee; we may imagine that his Commiſſion reacheth far this way, as Rewards and Encouragements to his Service; which we will the readilier entertain, when we find that by God's allowance, wicked Men have their Portion in this Life, and that theſe are called their Good Things.
Thirdly; Let us proceed a ſtep further to the Efficacy of this Authority; which alſo,
Firſt, Upon wicked Men is no leſs remarkable than is his Commiſſion; he is called the ſtrong Man in reference to their Hearts, which he fortifies as ſo many Caſtles and Gariſons againſt God: He alſo rules in them without controul; his Suggeſtions and Temptations are as Laws to them;Acts 5. 3. he fills their Hearts with his Deſigns, and raiſeth their Affections to an high and greedy purſuit of them; he works in them, and by an inward force doth hurry them on to atchieve his Enterpriſes;Epheſ. 2. 2. In all this enſnaring and captivating them at his pleaſure.2 Tim. 2. 26.
Secondly; The Saints, which are Subjects of another Kingdom, are ſtill fearing, complaining, watching, praying, and ſpreading out their hands, with lifting up their Eyes to Heaven for help againſt him; they complain of violence and reſtleſs Aſſaults from him; they are ſenſible that he can ſuggeſt evil thoughts, and follow them with inceſſant Importunities; that he can draw a darkneſs upon their Underſtanding, by bribing their Wills and Affections againſt them; that he can diſturb their Duties, and that becauſe of him they cannot do the good they would: many a fear doth he beget in their Hearts; many a diſquiet hour have they from him; their fleſh hath no reſt, and happy are they if they eſcape from him without broken Bones: many excellent ones have been caſt down by him, and for a time have been like dead Men. 'Tis ſad to ſee ſo juſt a Perſon as Lot under his feet; ſo choice a Saint as David wounded almoſt to the death; ſo high an Apoſtle as Peter by force and fear from him, to open his Mouth with Curſes and Imprecations in the denial of his Saviour;2 Cor. 12. 7. to ſay nothing of the Buffetings of others, which was ſufficiently weariſom to Paul, foreign Arrowſ. Tract. Sacr. l. 2. c. 8. § 3.and deſcribed by a Thorn in the Fleſh; which (if a Learned Man think right) is compared by a Metaphor, to thoſe ſharp Stakes upon which Chriſtians were cruelly ſpitted and burnt.
Thirdly; His quick and ready accompliſhment, is a further proof of the Efficacy of his Power. No ſooner had God given him a Commiſſion in reference to Job, but he quickly raiſeth the Tempeſt, brings down the Houſe, ſlayes his Children, brings Fire from Heaven; and (which would ſeem ſtrange) hath the Troops of the Sabeans and Chaldeans at his beck, as if they had been liſted under his known Command; ſo that in a little time he puts his Malice into Act.
Fourthly; If any would ſlight all this, as being the Force of Principalities and Powers againſt Fleſh and Blood: We may ſee he hath ſo much ſtrength and confidence, as to grapple with an Angel of Light, as he did in the conteſting for Moſes his Body, Jude v. 9. This was a Created Angel, elſe he durſt not ſure have brought a railing Accuſation; but in that he ſtrove, and raylingly accuſed, it ſhews he wanted not a daring boldneſs to ſecond his Commiſſion and Power.
Fourthly; It will be alſo requiſite to lay open the Advantages he hath in the management of all this Power, which are great: As,
Firſt, The multitude of Devils: That there are many, is not denyed, upon the evidence of ſeven caſt out of Mary Magdalen, and the Legion which were ſetled in one poor Man at once. It may be we may not credit the Devil's own account of his ſtrength ſo much, as to believe that their number was exactly anſwerable to a Roman Legion, which (if ſome ſpeak right) was 6666: yet there being ſo plain an alluſion to a Roman Legion; and the Scripture in the recital favouring it ſo far, as to conſent to a truth in that part of the Story, we can do no leſs than conclude that the number of Devils in that Perſon was a very great number, and ſo great, that the ſimilitude of Legion was proper to expreſs it by. Beſides, if the Scripture had been ſilent in this particular, our Reaſon would have clearly drawn that concluſion from ſuch premiſes as theſe, That he is the God of the World, and rules in the Children of Diſobedience; for whatſoever we conceive of his Power, we cannot think him Omnipotent, or Omnipreſent, theſe being the incommunicable Attributes of the great Creator of all things, in which no Creature can ſhare with God. Being then aſſured that he is the Tempter of all Men, and that he cannot be in all places at once, we muſt needs apprehend the Devils to be many, as is ſignified by that expreſſion, the Devil and his Angels.
Secondly; He hath alſo an advantage for the executing of his Deſigns, from that Order, which from the fore-mentioned grounds we muſt be forced to conceive to be among Devils. I know the bold determination of the Order of Angels by Dyoniſius is juſtly rejected,Lib. 2. Enchir. c. 58. not only by Irenaeus and Auguſtin, but alſo by the generality of Proteſtants, who upon that, and other grounds of like preſumption, do reject that Author as not being the true Dyoniſius the Areopagite. Neither do ſome of our Proteſtant Authors (as Chamier and others) admit the Government of Angels to be Monarchical, Panſt. Vol. 2. l. 9. c. 11.(which ſuppoſition the Papiſts would gladly make uſe of, as a Foundation whereon to eſtabliſh the Ʋniverſal Headſhip of the Pope) being a thing which Dyoniſius himſelf, (as Chamier affirms) never dream'd of: Yet do none of theſe Authors deny an Order among the Angels, but willingly grant it, as clearly implyed from the term Arch-Angel uſed by Paul, Sclater in loc.1 Theſſ. 4. 16. and from their being called God's Hoſt or Army, where Order is neceſſary for the right management of their ſtrength, and confuſion the way to the ruin of their deſigns! The thing they diſlike is, the bold and peremptory determination of the particular Orders among them,Cal. Inſtit. l. 1. c. 14. §. 8. and the aſſignment of the ſeveral Charges, Imployments and Stations to each; which whoſoever ſhall do, muſt needs be guilty of intruding into things which he hath not ſeen. It would upon the ſame ſcore be a preſumptuous folly to make ſuch a determination of the ſeveral Ranks and particular Imployments of Devils: Yet this hindereth not, but with a warrantable ſobriety we may believe in the general, that there is an Order among the Devils. Not only do theſe Expreſſions (Baalzebub the Prince of Divils, Vid. Bayns on Epheſ. 6. 12.the Devil and his Angels, and in that they are called, Principalities and Powers) warrant us ſo to think; but the fore-mentioned Conſiderations about the multitude of Devils, will force our Reaſon to an aſſent: for if they muſt be many, becauſe all Mankind is ſenſible of their Aſſaults, they muſt have alſo an Order in the management of their Temptations; without which, their Deſigns of Cruelty and Malice muſt (at leaſt in great part) fall to the ground. Neither do I know well, how thoſe Authors may be juſtly blamed, who proceed a little further in their Suppoſitions,Baynes ibid. to tell us (as moſt probable) That theſe Infernal Spirits do ſhare the World among them, and are alloted to ſeveral Countries and Places, as their own proper Charge and Juriſdiction; for what other Interpretation thoſe Paſſages in Dan. 10. 13. can receive, I cannot ſee, The Prince of the Kingdom of Perſia withſtanding the Angel one and twenty days; and his help in that oppoſition from Michael, cannot (if things be well weighed) be properly underſtood of Cambyſes the Son of Cyrus, or a conteſt with any Man. However if we let this go, as a thing uncertain,Calvin in loc. (becauſe this Interpretation is denyed by ſome) yet that which is ſpoken of their Order in the general, and the advantage theſe Spirits have againſt us upon that Conſideration, ſeems to be paſt denyal.
Thirdly; The advantage of place among Armies is reckoned much. Satan ſeems to have ſomething this way as an advantage of Ground, foreign. Epheſ. 6. 12.in that he is ſtiled Spiritual Wickedneſs in High Places. What advantage High Places may be to Devils and Spirits we cannot further imagine, than that they being thus above us and about us in the Air, ſee and know our Wages and Actions, and ſo receive Information from thence for their malicious proceedings againſt us.
Fourthly; But his greateſt advantage is from his Knowledg, which I ſhall a little explain in the following Chapter.