A Divine Legacy Bequeathed Unto All Mankind, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Man's Remedy and Deliverer.
HAving ſhewed at large Man's Malady and Danger in the firſt Chapter, I come now in this ſecond Chapter to ſhew Man's Remedy and Deliverer, who is no other but our Bleſſed Lord, whom Jacob calls his Redeeming Angel [the Angel that Redeemed him from all evil] Gen. 48.16. and who was named Jeſus, becauſe he came into the World upon this only Errand, [that he might ſave us from our ſins] Matth. c. 1. v. 21. This Name Jeſus may be derived from the Greek word [foreign] ſano to heal, or rather from the Hebrew word [Jaſhang] which ſignifies to ſave; from hence Joſhua is called Jeſus, in Acts 7.45. for both thoſe names do ſignifie Saviours; and as that Joſhuah ſaved Iſrael by bringing them out of the Wilderneſs into the Earthly Canaan; ſo our Lord Jeſus doth bring all the Iſrael of God (his Redeemed ones) out of the Wilderneſs of this preſent Evil World, Gal. 1. v. 4. (which is here below) into that heavenly Canaan which is above: And thus the Lord ſaith [Vaani Jehovah Rophekah] which ſignifieth [I am a mighty Gyant like Healer of thee, Exod. 15.26. upon which Text Tertullian makes this learned and Holy Deſcant [Omnipotenti Medico nullus inſanabilis occurrit Morbus] unto ſuch an All-ſufficient Healer as our Lord Jeſus is, there is no kind of Diſeaſe can be found Incurable; and thus the Prophet ſaith [By his ſtripes we are all healed] Iſa. 53.5. and tho' man have for his Mallady Satan who is call'd [foreign] a roaring Lion ſeeking whom he may (not only bite or ſcratch but Devour, or drink up at one Draught, or ſwallow down at one Mouthful (as the word [foreign ſignifies) 1. Pet. 5.8. Yet this is our comfort, that our Bleſſed Saviour (who is alſo [a Lion, of the Tribe of Judah] Revel. 5.5. He is called [foreign] one who ſaveth us from the wrath to come, 1 Theſſ. 1 10. Thus Man's Remedy againſt all his Malady is his bleſſed Redeemer; but more particularly even from the mouth of our dear Redemer himſelf in his excellent Parable concerning the ſtrong Man's peaceable poſſeſſion of his houſe, until the ſtronger Man came upon him with a writ of Ejectment and diſpoſſeſſion of him, &c. Luk. 11.21.22. As the former of thoſe two Verſes holds forth Mans Malady and Danger (which is at large diſcourſed upon and diſcovered) ſo the latter Verſe gives a moſt clear demonſtration of Man's Remedy and Deliverer, namely himſelf, whom he calls the ſtronger Man, and moſt amply accompliſhed to effect a compleat Deliverance and Salvation for us ſorry Mortals out of all the before-named Miſeries. In both thoſe Verſes we may behold (as in a clear Looking-glaſs) and diſcerne whoſe we are and whom we Serve (as the Apoſtles phraſe is, Acts 27.23. whether we belong to Satan; or to our Saviour, &c. as we find the witneſſings of Gods Spirit with our Spirits, Rom. 8.16. Concerning this poſſeſſion of the ſtrong Man and the Diſpoſſeſſion of him by the ſtronger Man, &c. as our Saviour calls himſelf in ver. 22. which doth repreſent Gods, Champion coming forth to redeem man fallen into miſery by the wiles of Satan, and one who will not be baffled in any of his Undertakings, for our Lord is called [Mans Undertaker] Iſa. 38.14. and he ſaith likewiſe [Oh Mankind, thou hath Deſtroyedthy ſelf, but in me is thy Help] Hoſ. 13.9. or as another paraphraſtick Reading runs [what hath Deſtroyed thee even the mutability of thy will, Deceived by the grand Deceiver, who was by his Creation an Angel of Light, and propably one of thoſe Sons of the Morning who ſung Praiſes to the great Creator for the Creation of the Heavens Job. 38.7. Yet afterwards by his Luciferian pride, Iſa. 14.14. was changed into the prince of Darkneſs, Eph. 6.12. that glorius Angel was Turned into a Damned Devil, and who firſt ſet himſelf againſt the great Creator himſelf, ſaying with proud Lucifer. Iſa. 14.13,14. [Ero ſicut Altiſſimus, I will be like the moſt High] and when he found that the thing formed was too weak for Him that formed it, and that the Potter had power over the Clay, &c. Rom. 9.20 21. So that the Creature could not prevail againſt his Creator, then Satan falls foul upon God's Creature [Man] whom he ſaw Created in the Image of God, wherein he Acted like that malicious Traitor, who when his deviliſh deſigne was diſappointed of Aſſaſſinating the Kings Royal Perſon himſelf, he then falls foul upon the Kings Picture, and tears it all to peices. Thus the Devil did with the firſt Adam (who was Gods Picture by his Creation) and prevailed,yea and ſo, as that he prevailed not only againſt Adams Perſon, but alſo againſt all Adams Poſterity, by pouring his Poiſon into the Spring-head or fountain (as is demonſtrated before) as Adam was the publick Perſon, and Rrepreſentative of all the whole Race of mankind, hereby we are all born Children of wrath, Eph. 2.3. Enquiry, how did the Creator take this Affront and Indignity done to him by the Devil in rending his Picture into peices, &c. was God unconcerned?
Anſwer the (1ſt) Indeed it was once at the leaſt a ſeeming Divine diſpenſation concerning bloody Herods Impriſoning and Beheading John the Baptiſt, that famous fore-runner of the Worlds Reedemer, yet all that time God ſeemed to be ſilent, as if not at all concerned therein, by any External or ſenſible Providence of God to teſtifie his diſlike and Abhorrency of ſuch a Barbarous murder, Mat. 14,3,4,5, to the 13.th notwithſtanding Gods ſeeming ſilence as to outwrrd Judgments upon thoſe malicious murderers, the Lord gave an Inward plague in perplexing Herods conſcience for this bloody Butchery, Luke 9.7. where the word [foreign] ſignifies, that Herod [pendebat] ſtood amuſed and amazed and ſtuck faſt in the mud (as it were) and could not ſtir his feet, butwas ready to hang himſelf, as the words import; ſo in an angry Conſcience Herod heard an angry God, &c. But, Anſwer the 2d. As to this Original Affront of Satan to his Maker, in Defacing the Kings Image, by putting the firſt Adam to the Foil, and to that foul Fall, the King of Kings is moſt highly concerned, and comes immediately to the very place and ſpot of ground where this very Villany was newly perpretrated, Summons the Offenders perſonally to Appear, and He ſaith to Satan [well Satan, thou haſt prevailed indeed over the firſt Adam, notwithſtanding I have my Glorious ends in it. So to over-rule it as to bring forth the greateſt good out of that greateſt evil by the Chymical Art of my Unſearchable Wiſdom; but be it known to thee, I will ſend the Second Adam into the world, who ſhall not only match thee, but alſo over-match thee, he ſhall diſpoſſeſes thee of this thy new poſſeſſion. The ſeed of the woman ſhall break thy Head, though thou (by thy Serpentine ſubtlety) hath now bruiſed mans Heel, and put him into a limping and halting poſture, Gen. 3.15. I will ſend my Son in the Similitude of ſinful Fleſh, who through his Death ſhall Deſtroy him that had the power of Death, that is, the Devil Hebr. 2.14. and tho' thou haſt ſinnedfrom the beginning; yet, for this purpoſe the Son of God ſhall be manifeſted, that he might deſtroy the works of the Devil, (as well as the Devil himſelf) 1 Joh. 3.8. Thus the Everlaſting Goſpel (as it is called, Revel. 14.6.) was preached even by God himſelf in Paradiſe; and ſeeing God himſelf was the firſt Preacher of the Goſpel, therefore that employ of God's Embaſſadors is very honourable Work, and not ſo contemptible as the blind World doth unworthily account it to be, &c.
Behold here, how our moſt Gracious Father in Heaven provides and prepares a moſt Sovereign Plaiſter (made up of the warm Blood of our Bleſſed and Bleeding Redeemer, who was the Lamb ſlain from the Foundation of the World, Revel. 13.8.) So ſoon as the Strong Man armed had given this mortal Wound to the Root of Mankind, even to Innocent Adam in his Paradiſe-Eſtate, and this Goſpel of Peace our good God himſelf did preach thus early, that none of the Spirits of his dear Children (though corrupted by the faln Nature) might ſink in them. N.B. Note well, Goſpel, quaſi God's Spell, as if it were a Divine Spell of God's own ordaining, wherewith to catch that Old Serpent, the Devil, the good Lord teaches us to ſpell out the Glad Tidings out of this Everlaſting Goſpel. [When Men are caſt down, then ſhalt thou ſay, there is a lifting up, Job 22.29.] As the deſign of the firſt Chapter in this little Book was to caſt down, and to humble us miſerable Mortals under the ſaving Senſe of Man's Malady and Danger by the fall of the firſt Adam, by the deceitfulneſs of the Devil; and oh that many more of us were ſo ſenſibly caſt down and duly humbled. Accordingly the Drift and Scope of this Second Chapter, is for a ſeaſonable lifting up of ſuch humble Souls with the Comforts of the Goſpel, by repreſenting the true and only Remedy againſt this matchleſs Malady, to wit, our dear Redeemer. And to the ſame purpoſe is the purport of many Goſpel Parables, as thoſe Three of the loſt Sheep, the loſt Groat, and the loſt Son, from the Hiſtory of all which, I have opened (through Grace) the Myſtery in my Fourth Volume, upon Luke the 15th. But here I ſhall only demonſtrate how our Lord's Parable in Luke 11.21,22. hath the ſame tendency, holding forth to us, that though our Malady be ſtrong, yet our Remedy is ſtronger; that our Lord Jeſus is ſtronger to Save us, than Satan is to Deſtroy us; notwithſtanding this Prince of Darkneſs be a ſtrong Man armed as to himſelf, and hathlikewiſe a whole Kingdom of Devils at his command to help him; yea, and moreover his fully furniſh'd Shop of this preſent evil World, wherein he hath at hand to take out all his tempting Tools, ſuch as the Scripture calleth the Luſt of the Fleſh, the Luſt of the Eyes, and Pride of Life, &c. 1 John 2.16. I may ſay here as our Lord ſaid, [What went ye out to ſee, not a Reed ſhaken with the wind, &c. Matth. 11.7. Behold here is One greater and ſtronger than John the Baptiſt, Joh. 1. v. 27. That famous Duel wherein David conquered the Great Goliah, was a reſemblance of this very Parable; and ſo was that ſharp Conteſt betwixt Michael the Archangel, and the Devil, Jude, ver. 9. but with this difference, that was only an earneſt Diſputation about the literal Body of Moſes; but this repreſents both a Conflict and a Conqueſt alſo concerning the Myſtical Body of the Meſſias. But that moſt Renowned Narrative and Hiſtory of the Monomachia or Duel, which was fought Hand to Hand, betwixt the two Perſons of Curſed Satan and our Bleſſed Saviour, as it is largely related in three ſeveral Rencounters, Matth. 4.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, &c. All that whole Hiſtory, (wherein the very Abſtracts and Quinteſſence of Power and Policy, and ofStrength and Subtilty were engaged to their utmoſt one againſt the other, &c.) was a moſt evident Interpretation of the Myſtery of this Parable, concerning the Strong Man armed, and this Stronger Man, the Lord Jeſus, who is brought in there as God's Champion in the behalf of faln Man, who drove away the Devil from him, and defeated him in all his three Temptations, Matth. 4, &c. And the ſame Champion doth likewiſe diſpoſſeſs him of his Palace here, which Diſpoſſeſſion of the Strong Man by the Stronger Man, Luke 11.22. is moſt elegantly illuſtrated by five famous Illuſtrations. As,
(1ſt.) By the Quality and Endowments of the Diſpoſſeſſor; Chriſt is ſtronger to help us, than Satan is to harm us.
(2dly.) By his Aſſault and Battery, he makes upon the Strong Man, poſſeſſing his Palace. [He comes upon him, &c.]
(3dly.) From his Conqueſt and Victory [He overcomes him.]
(4thly.) From our Lord's diſarming hi… Enemy. And
(5thly.) From his dividing the Spoil wit… the ſtrong; as Iſa. 53.12.
Thus it is made manifeſt how Chri… comes to be called Man's Myſtical J… ſhuah and David, our Goel, our Redeeme… who delivereth us from Wrath to come… 1 Theſſ. 1.10. Luke 1.75. And being delivered by him, therefore muſt we ſerve him in Righteouſneſs and true Holineſs, Eph. 4.24. and that all the days of our lives; and that we may ſerve him the more chearfully without fear, we have this great encouragement, that He who is in us, is ſtronger than he that is in the World, 1 John 4.4. This great Truth that Chriſt is the Stronger Man, may be thus demonſtrated: Firſt, That it is ſo: And Secondly, Why it muſt be ſo: For ſeveral Reaſons:
1ſt. Of the Firſt, That it is ſo, this is an apparent Truth, becauſe this Prince of Light did never Encounter with this Prince of Darkneſs, but he ever proved too ſtrong for him, and put him always to a moſt ſhameful Foil. As,
(1ſt.) Our Lord met him in Heaven, and thruſt him out for his Pride from that Holy Place. N.B. Note well, What was this Sin of Lucifer and his Angels? And what was the ſpecial Object of their proud Motion at the firſt in them? There be Three differing Opinions: The Firſt is, That Lucifer did Affect and Aſpire after an Equality with the moſt High God, Iſa. 14.13,14. The Second Opinion is, That he ambitiouſly endeavoured to enjoy a Felicity in himſelf, without any dependencyupon his Maker: He would have had an Independent Bleſſedneſs, like that of God himſelf, &c. And the Third Opinion is, That he preſumed to have the Honour of the Hypoſtatical Union, which appertained only to the Second Perſon in the Trinity, namely, to the Son of God. The ground of this Opinion is, (as ſome ſay) That preſently after the Creation of Angels, the Creator did reveal this his purpoſe of making a certain Man, to whom the Second Perſon in the Godhead muſt be united, and that all the Angels muſt Worſhip this God-man, as the Saviour of the World; no ſooner did the Prince of the Apoſtate Angels underſtand this Revelation of the Will of God, but he refuſed to ſubmit unto this Law, and rather did challenge this Honour as due to himſelf. And this Conjecture ſeems to be the more probable, conſidering, that as God did give his command to Man, (as ſoon as he was created) and that a poſitive Law, [Thou ſhalt not eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, &c.] and this Law was given to him for the trial of his Obedience to his Maker, &c. Even ſo God might give ſome poſitive Law likewiſe to the Angels, as ſoon as he had created them, upon the firſt Day of the Creation with the Light, &c. Now no poſitive Law can more likely be ſuppoſed, th… this (of worſhipping the Son of God und… his Incarnation) to be impoſed upon the Angels; and if ſo, then this Lucifer, the Devil, did moſt directly oppoſe himſelf againſt the Perſon of Chriſt; and therefore Chriſt, to ſhew himſelf the ſtronger of the two, did violently hurl him out of Heaven, and together with him, all thoſe other Angels, who conſented to his Ambition, and were Fellow-Conſpirators with him in his Rebellion againſt his Maker. And
(2dly.) When our Lord had caſt Satan out of Heaven, he afterward did oft meet with him upon Earth; yea, even perſonally, and proved ſtronger than he, putting him to the foil at every turn. For thus we are told, how our Saviour did encounter Satan firſt in a barren Wilderneſs in his firſt Temptation; and then upon a Pinacle of the Temple in the ſecond; and after this, upon an exceeding High Mountain in his third Conflict, yet our Lord Chriſt came off a Conqueror in all thoſe three Combates, ſo immediately ſucceeding one another, as they are related by the Evangeliſts. Some may ſay here by way of enquiry, how could Satan become ſo bold and daring, as to grapple with the ſame Antagoniſt upon Earth,whom he had found too ſtrong for him in Heaven, &c?
The Anſwer to it is this, That our Lord now appeared as a meer Man, and therefore all the Tempters aſſaults ran, Thus, [if thou be the Son of God, &c.] now Satan had found himſelf not only a Match, but alſo an Over-match for the firſt Adam, and therefore he thought that he was ſtrong enough to grapple with the ſtrongeſt of Adam's Off-ſpring; eſpecially, conſidering how he had long before this been able to maſter ſtrong Sampſon, &c. which might make him hope of prevailing againſt our Saviour, who now appear'd only in the Form of a Servant, Phil. 2.6,7. and having his Viſage marred more than any Mans, Iſa. 52.14. and 53.2,3. Inſomuch that the taunting Jews took him to be about Fifty years old, when he was not yet little more than Thirty, Joh. 8.57. Hereupon Satan ventures to aſſault his Perſon with three various Weapons; to wit, the Luſt of the Fleſh, the Luſt of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life, hoping that though one of them did fail, yet the other might prevail, and the rather, becauſe he had found all theſe wicked Weapons ſo ſucceſsful altogether againſt our Firſt Parents; concerning whom we are told, how this ſame Tempter made them long for the forbidden Fruit, (there was Luſt of the Fleſh) and he captivated and bewitched their Sight with the Beauty and Lovelineſs of the Apple (there was Luſt of the Eyes); and laſtly, he perſwaded them that their eating thereof would wonderfully Metamorphoſe and Change them from their preſent Humane into a Divine Nature, ſaying, Ye ſhall be as Gods, &c. there was the Pride of Life. Accordingly Satan improveth to his utmoſt, this ſelf ſame Method againſt our Bleſſed Saviour, the Second Adam; for firſt, he tempts him with turning Stones into Bread, when he was very Hungry after a forty Days faſt, there was [Luſt of the Fleſh]; though Chriſt could and would have done it at God's command, yet he abhors to do it at the Devil's bidding, as all Satan's Slaves do, who win their Bread by Cheating, Oppreſſion, &c. Satan's ſecond Aſſault againſt our Saviour, was concerning Luſt of the Eyes, when he ſhewed a Map of all the glittering Glories of this Evil World to our Saviour's ſight, ſaying to him, [Haec omnia tibi Dabo; All theſe will I give thee]. Our Lord look'd upon them, as indeed they were, meet Shews and Shadows, and juſt nothing, no more than bare Apparitions and Reſemblances of Worldly Glory,which is expreſſed [foreign] Acts 24.23. All Agrippa's Pomp was but a meer Phancy. Though all theſe Glories were no more than ſorry Schemes or Mathematical Figures without any Solidity or Subſtance to affect our Saviour's ſight; yet he tells us himſelf, how his Spouſe did raviſh his Heart with the Beauty of one Saving Grace, Cant. 4.9. Our Lord valued this Image of God more than that offer of Satan to him, to make him the Great Pope, as ſome do Interpret that place, Luke 4. ver. 5, 6, 7. Now, when our Saviour had put Satan to the foil in this Second Aſſault, as the Evangeliſt Luke doth rank them in his Sacred Record, Luke 4. After this the Tempter takes Chriſt up again, and ſets him upon a Pinacle of the Temple, &c. Ver. 9, 10, 11, 12. and tempts him to fly in the Air, (as Simon Magus was ſaid to do, &c.) and then would he act like the Son of God indeed, and appear to be ſo unto others alſo; and he promiſeth to him that the Angels would protect and preſerve him from harm in that preſumptious Action, &c. This was the Devil's thruſt at our Dear Redeemer, though this Maſter-fly, Beelzebub had been beaten off once and again, yet returns he the third time to the ſame place, and like Potiphar's Wifeto Joſeph, will be impo…unate and impudent notwithſtanding all former flat denials, he ſets upon and ſ…es our Saviour here unto that Sin, [… …ide of Life] but being vanquiſh'd … Chriſt this third time alſo, he at our … Rebuke and Command to depart, … vaniſhed away, and Angels came to him to comfort him with Food, &c.
Then (3dly.) When … had conquered Satan in his own Pe… both in Heaven and on Earth, he com… … as Man's Champion, and as the C… … our Salvation, Heb. 2.10: ev… … Corporal Preſence to Conquer hi… … Caſt him forth out of others who… … met any that were diſtreſſed by … &c. It is ſaid indeed [that S… … from our Saviour (who h… … him thrice in his own Perfor… …) only for a ſeaſon, Luke 4.… ſhewing how reſtleſs this Tempter is, …th with Chriſt himſelf, and with all Chriſtians; after one Aſſault or two, or three, be over, we muſt expect he will ſtill renew his Aſſaults and Batteries upon us; and therefore in a Calm we ought always to provide well for a Storm. Thus our Lord met the Devil again at many times, and in many places, having taken poſſeſſion of many Demoniacks while he was here preſentupon Earth, and where-ever Chriſt met him, he did evermore Diſpoſſeſs him, as Matth. 8.29,30,31,32. and Mark 5.4,5,6,9. And many more Inſtances might be added to declare it; but this one may ſuffice, ſhewing how a whole Legion of Strong Devils, (which by common Computation amounteth to the number of Six thouſand armed Soldiers) all do jointly ſtoop and truckle to the Command of this one Chriſt, called the Stronger Man, Luke 9.27,30,32,33.
But (4thly.) and Laſtly, As Chriſt's Bodily Preſence was of ſuch a powerful and victorious Influence over Satan, during all the time that he Tabernacled among Men, as the word [foreign, John 1.14.] doth ſignify, no leſs doth his Gracious and Spiritual Preſence with his Church and Children, to whom he ſaith, [Lo, I am with you to the end of the World,] Matth. 28.27,29. that is, I will ſtill charm and chaſe away Devils from you my Redeemed ones, I will not ſuffer Satan to devour ſo much as one of my Lambs; I will loſe none of that number which the Father hath given me, John 6.39. and 17.12. I will preſerve you from your Adverſaries, I will proſper you in your Enterprizes, I will protect you, direct you, comfort you; yea, I will carry on the Work of Grace in you, and at the laſt Crown you with Glory. All this, and more is included in this precious Promiſe, &c.
Now having diſpatched the firſt Demonſtration, ſhewing how it is made manifeſt in a manifold manner; namely, in a fourfold Reſpect, both in Heaven and upon Earth, both in his Perſon and in his Spirit, &c. that Chriſt is the ſtronger Man, and too ſtrong for this ſtrong Man, Satan, tho' he be armed Cap-a-pee from head to foot. Now I come to the Second Demonſtration, to ſhew the Reaſon why it muſt be ſo.
The firſt Reaſon is, The Creator muſt be too ſtrong for the Creature: Now that Chriſt was the Devil's Creator, appeareth by many Scriptures; as by John 1.3. and by Col. 1.16. and by Heb. 1.2,3. All which places do declare the Deity of Chriſt, for none can have a Creating-power, ſave only the Omnipotent God, who can bring all things out of nothing: Now all things, whether Viſible or Inviſible, whether they be Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, (which is one of Satan's names, Eph. 6.12.) or Powers; all things were created not only by him, but alſo for him, Col. 1.16. and if ſo, it muſt follow, that the Devil is one of Chriſt's Creatures, and not only made by him,but alſo for him, that is, for accompliſhing the ends of Chriſt's Glorious Will, or as it is expreſſed, [all were created for the Pleaſure of Chriſt] Revel. 4.11. Now ſhould the Devil be too ſtrong for Chriſt, this could not be Chriſt's Pleaſure, but his Pain and Torment to be maſtered by another, and brought into Subjection, &c. This the Adverſary himſelf doth acknowledge in his ſaying to Chriſt, [Art thou come to Torment us before the time?] Mat. 8.29. wherein he owned not only that Chriſt was over-powerful for him, but alſo that to be over-powered, and to be diſpoſſeſſed too, could not be accounted any pleaſure to him, but his great torment to be caſt out of his Palace, and to loſe the place of his pleaſure. Thus it may eaſily be concluded, that Chriſt muſt be ſtronger than his Creature, otherwiſe the Creature would not be for his Pleaſure; it muſt be Pain for a Superior to be ſubdued by an Inferior: A noble Prince by a baſe Peaſant, a Priſoner, &c.
The ſecond Reaſon, why Chriſt muſt be ſtronger than Satan, is, becauſe Chriſt is likewiſe the Upholder of all created Beings; 'tis ſaid, [Chriſt upholdeth all things by the Word of his Power, Hebr. 1.3. As 'tis ſaid, [The Father made the Worlds by his Son] ver. 2. and [without him nothingwas made that was created] John 1.3. The Son of God was not idle, or unconcerned in the firſt Creation, but was a Co-Agent with the Father, and the Spirit in that Almighty Work, &c. So here he is brought in as an upholder of all things by the Word of his Power, in the Almighty Works of his Providence; and he upholds all created Things, both Secundum ſuum eſſe, & ſecundum ſuum operari, (as the Schoolmen's Phraſe is) that is, Chriſt upholds all things, both as to their Beings and Eſſence, and as to their Actings and Operations. So that the Fire cannot burn, &c. without the Divine Concourſe of Chriſt, as both in the Caſe of Moſes Buſh which burned, but was not conſumed, Exod. 3.2. And in the Caſe of thoſe three Nobles of Babylon, who were caſt into the exceeding hot fiery Furnace, but the Fire had no power over their Bodies, nor was one Hair of their Head ſinged, &c. Dan. 3.23, &c. How came this to paſs? We are told there, that the Son of God made the fourth Man among them, and reſtrained the fury of thoſe Flames, ſo that not any ſmell of burning was upon them, Ver. 24, 25, 26, 27. Where we are told how Nebuchadnezzar heard the three Men praiſing God in the Fire, (as the Septuagint ſaith there)and he ſaw the fourth as their Redeemer. All which do clearly declare, That the Devil (but a Creature) is upheld by Chriſt, both in his Being, and in his Acting: He could not harm an Hog without asking leave from his Lord, [ſuffer us to go, &c. Matth. 8.30,31,32.] much leſs any Lamb of Chriſt, who lends him his leave, &c. Now the Borrowing-power can never be too ſtrong for the Lending-power, &c.