The True Christians T est, Part 1 · Meditation 93
MEDITAT. XCIII. Of the God of this World.
AMongſt other worldly things, I read of the God of this World, and the Prince of this World; whom to adore and obey, is certainly a Symptom of a worldly mind.
The Eternal Jehovah, is the rightful and onelyonly proper God and Prince of the World: But yet by an improper ſpeech, the Devil is alſo called, The God of this World, 2 Cor. 4. 4.
He is thus called, either by a Metonymie of the Adjunct, or by a Metaphor, By a Metonymie, a thing is ſaid to be that, which it is onelyonly in opinion, foreign, not foreign. And thus the Devil is the God of this World in his own opinion; for he venditates himſelf as ſuch, Matth. 4. 8, 9. All theſe things will I give thee. And Luke 4. 6, 7. All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them, for that is delivered unto me, and to whomſoever I will, I give it. And in the opinion of men, who take and worſhip him for God: as the Dog is ſaid to be the God of Egypt, becauſe it is worſhiped by them inſtead of God; and the …lly is ſaid to be the God of Epicures, Phil. 3. 19.
Or elſe by a Metaphor. The Name of God is Metaphorically apply'd to the Devil: For as the true God adminiſters his Kingdom of Grace in Believers, and is devoutly worſhip'd by them; ſo the Devil worketh his malignant works in the hearts of wicked men, and is obey'd by the Children of diſobedience, Epheſ. 2. 2. that is God to every man which he doth moſt eſteem and advance in his heart. And ſo, although there is really a difference between God and Mammon, yet be Metaphorically ſaid, That Mammon is the God of covetous men.
When I conſider how often in Scripture things are ſaid to be that, which they only ſeem to be, or are taken to be, either by a mans ſelf or others, I cannot but wonder at the unreaſonable Clamor that ſome People make; not ſticking to Rail at us for Lying and Equivocating, when we thus ſpeak: If the Spirit of God had not authoriz'd and conſecrated this Expreſſion, of the Devils being the God of this World, how may we imagine that the Pretenders to Simplicity and Propriety of Speech, would have hoo…ed it out of the World for Blaſphemy.
And methinks the neceſſity of Humane Learning, and particularly of Rhetorick, may fairly be commended and eſtabliſhed from this Conſideration.
There are ſo many paſſages of this nature in Scripture, that I cannot but record ſome few of them, to ſtop the mouths of irrhetorical Cenſures.
The Diabolical Spectrum is expreſly call'd Samuel, which was only ſo foreign, 1 Sam. 28. 12. Hananiah is called a Prophet, Jer. 28. becauſe he was accounted for ſuch: And ſo is Epimenides called (by the Apoſtle, Tit. 1. 12.) the Prophet of the Cretians; for, as Laertius tells us, he was ſo accounted of by them, and after his death they ſacrificed to him.
Joſeph is called the Father of Jeſus, Luke 2. 48. only becauſe he was ſo reputed, as the Text afterwards confeſſes, Luke 3. 23.
The preaching of the Goſpel is call'd fooliſhneſs, 1 Cor. 1. 2. only becauſe it was ſo in the judgment of the wiſe men of the world.
We read of Clouds without water, and wandring Stars, Jude 12, 13. whereas Philoſophers will not yield that thoſe are foreign but ſay they are meer foreign, nor properly Stars, but inflammations of the dry Air extended, reſembling falling Stars.
Ivory is often called the Elephant's Tooth, wherein Varro ſaith, The Scripture accommodateth it ſelf to the Vulgar Opinion, affirming that they are Horns having their root in the temples of the Beaſts, and bending down thorow the upper Jaw, riſe again, and ſo reſemble Teeth. It is evident that Ivory is ſoftned by Fire, which does not agree to Teeth, but Horn. The Text ſeems elſewhere to ſpeak out, Ezek. 27. 15. and calls them the Horns of Ivory. It is ſaid, Mark 6. 48. that Chriſt would have paſſed by the poor diſtreſted Diſciples, when he only ſeemed as though he would. Paul's Shipmen deemed that ſome Countrey drew near to them, Acts 27. 27. that is indeed, that they drew near to ſome Countrey: ſpoken according to appearance, like that of the Poet,
Provehimur porta, terraeque urboſque recedunt.
They come from the end of Heaven, ſays the Prophet, Iſa. 13. 5. A Speech borrow'd from the opinion of the Vulgar, who following the judgment of their Eyes, think that the Heavens are but Hemiſpherical, and do end at the utmoſt parts of the Earth, upon which the extremities of Heaven ſeem to them to reſt: With Alluſion to which Vulgar Opinion, (how falſe ſoever) the Mountains are ſaid to be the Foundations of the Heavens, 2 Sam. 22. 8. and the Pillars of Heavek, Job 26. 11. Becauſe it ſeems, as if the Heavens reſted upon them, as upon Foundations or Pillars.
But to return from this Digreſſion: The Devil is the God of this Warld, and all his Followers are worldly men.
Theſe, for Method ſake, I will briefly meditate of under three Ranks, viz. the Servants, the Children, and the Confederates of the Devil.
By Servants of the Devil, I mean Idolaters, that ſerve dumb Idols as they are led, and know not the living God.
By his Children, I mean all that imitate him, and are of his wicked nature, though they be not Idolaters.
By his Allies, I mean ſuch as are in a formal Covenant with him, who conſult his pleaſure, and act by his power and skill.
To the firſt he is a kind of High Priest, by whom they expect Reconciliation and Atonement; to the ſecond a King; and to the third a Prophet: ſo he is the Prophet, Priest, and King of worldly men.