that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." God's image is created in true holiness, Eph. iv. 24; the devil's image is nothing but sin. God's image is righteousness, Eph. iv. 24; Satan's image is guilt and condemnation. God's image is love; "He that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God:" the devil's image is enmity against God, Rom. viii. 7. God's image was life, the devil's image is death. This image our first parents conceived, and in this fallen man propagates his seed: he begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and this image God hates. "As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image." Every one that is found in the day of judgment in Satan's image will be sent away from Christ, and will go with the devil and his angels. 4. Men are called the children of the devil, because they do his works: and they begin their works just as he did. The devil began with lying, and so do all his children: "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies." Hence our Lord says, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." 5. In Satan's image the kingdom of the devil stands. There are but two sorts of children, children of God and children of the devil. Over God's children Satan reigns not, but in his own children he reigns and rules; and his empire stands in his own image, and in nothing else. The souls of sinners are his throne, and the heart his palace. "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace his goods are in peace," Luke xi. 21; compare with Isaiah liii. 12. "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world; according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." And all the time that Satan keeps the palace men are nothing but drudges and slaves to him, for he works in the children of disobedience: he holds them in his snare, and leads them at his pleasure. "If God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." The devils have erected a sort of empire and government among themselves, as appears from what the word of God says. Christ, at his death, is said to spoil principalities and powers: he made shew of them openly, triumphing over them on the cross, Col. ii. 15. And we read of a kingdom which the devil has usurped: "If Satan be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand?" We read likewise of Beelzebub, the prince of the devils; and it should seem that they attend upon the different branches of their infernal empire severally. That of murdering and lying our Lord charges upon the devil and Satan. The man of sin also, with his false doctrine, which is called all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, is said to be after the coming of Satan, who is the head of the apostacy, the chief and king of the devils and of all sinners. Unclean sinners are called children of Belial. And idolaters upon all the devils. "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrificed, they sacrificed to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils." I come now to treat of the manifestation of the Son of God. "That he might destroy the works of the devil." The scriptures declare that Christ hath destroyed the devil's works, and even the devil himself; for Paul says that through death Christ destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and delivered them who, through the fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage, Heb. ii. 14, 15. These things, which the word of God declares, though with which the face of things in the world does not seem to agree, are not a little puzzling to weak believers; for we hear of the whole kingdom of the beast being full of darkness, and whole nations still in idolatry; and even in this land, where the truth is continued, every old heresy is revived, and every doctrine of devils advanced and defended, and all sorts of profanity riding in triumph. And, as for religion, a dead form pre vails every where; nay, among professors them. selves, how many have a name to live and are dead? Legions of impostors fill the pulpit, and swarms of hypocrites the pews; so that there are but a few names even in Sardis. This wonder arises from our ignorance of the scriptures. Christ never undertook in behalf of any but the elect of God, nor will he ever destroy the devil's works out of any soul living but out of the objects of his own choice. Very early intimations were given of this: for, at the same time that God declared the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head, he assigned a seed to the serpent, which are called the children of the devil; between whom and the seed of the woman God put enmity, which soon appeared in Cain and Abel. Abel was a child of God by faith, as all the elect are and shall be: and Cain was of that wicked one, and slew him. And in this matter the two seeds were made manifest, and the enmity that was put between them. And even among the Jews, instead of the devil's works being destroyed out of them, Christ declared that the devil should fall with greater force after his departure, as it is written, unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none. Then he saith, I will return into my house, from whence I came out; and when he is come he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more upon them "When the wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." These Jews are called Satan's own house. The gospel of Christ tormenting him, he left it; and at his return he claims it still as his own: and, in order to repossess it with more firmness and fortitude, he goes and takes to himself seven other spirits, more wicked than himself, by which it appears that some devils are more desperately wicked than others, and these enter in and dwell there: and, if their last state is worse than the first, neither the devils nor their works were ever destroyed out of them. Even where the gospel comes the seed of the serpent only sin and rage the more: "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you." These despisers are no other than the serpent's seed: between whom and the saints God has put enmity. These, instead of believing in Christ, defend the empire of Satan to the uttermost. Some of the pagan Roman emperors abdicated their thrones, and died in despair, only because they could not extirpate the Christians; and others armed themselves, in the days of Constantine, and appeared in open war, and fought with the devil at their head, vindicating Satan's cause at the expense of a sea of blood; and even perished in support of the devil's usurpation: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his |