Secondly, Let us look to the means. The weapons of this warfare are not carnal ; that is, there is little pomp and appearance in them. Look upon them, and the matter will be the more wonderful.
1. As to his death. His very conflict was his triumph. The Lamb overcometh, and Christ conquered Satan, and sin, and the law, when they seemed to have most power upon him ; like angry bees that sting others and disarm themselves. When Satan had the greatest hand over Christ, Christ overcame him : Heb. ii. 14, ' That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.' Satan lost his life in his sting. It is observable, that the scripture twice or thrice mentioncth it as a remarkable circumstance that Christ triumphed in his cross : Col. ii. 15, ' Triumphing over them in it.' So Eph. ii. 16, ' Having slain enmity thereby ;' that is, the cross spoken of before, when he was slain himself His cross is in two places ex- pressed by lifting up : John iii. 14, ' Even so the Son of man shall be lifted up ; ' and John xii. 32, ' And I, if I be lifted up from the earth.' Indeed it was his preferment and exaltation.
2. By the word of the cross, called the foolishness of preaching : Ps. viii. 2, ' Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength.' Weak men, whose strength is in their Messiah, may bring men upon their faces by a sermon : 1 Cor. xiv. 25, ' And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest ; and falling down upon his face, he will worship God, and report, saying, God is in you of a truth.' And recover the world unto his obedience by these arts : Mat. iv. 23, ' Jesus went about preaching the gospel of the kingdom.' And his kingdom is gained by that, and it maketh much for the heightening of the conquest.
3. By his Spirit : Zech. iv. 6, ' Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.' A great force, but secret and un- discerned ; mighty to humble, mighty to comfort, mighty to convert and save. The little finger of the Spirit is heavier than the loins of our rensoning, and debates with our souls. Jerusalem is purged by the Spirit : Jer. iv. 4, ' Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my fury come forth like fire.'
4. By his prayers and intercessions : Zech. iii. 2, ' And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, 0 Satan, even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee.' Christ prayeth Satan into nothing. All the merit of Christ is made effectual by his prayers, and all the
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efficacy of Christ's death and satisfaction is applied and conveyed to us by the Spirit ; and thereby we have the s})iritual virtue of Christ's prayers: John xiv. 16, ' I will pray the Father, and he will send you another Comforter.' All the actual application is by the power of the Spirit, obtained by the intercession of Christ : Luke xvii. 20, 21, ' The kingdom of God comcth not with observation, neither shall they say, Lo here, lo there: behold the kingdom of God is within you.' Well, then, these are the arts and engines that Christ useth for the gaining of the world and spoiling of his adversaries ; his death, his word, his Spirit obtained by his prayer. Some take in other things, sometimes God ruineth them by themselves, Satan by his own instruments, by their subtilty, and sometimes other ways ; but the cause and ground of all are the death, and prayers, and Spirit of Christ ; there lieth his strength, and this is a strange and glorious conquest.
Thirdly, The manner or nature of the conquest, how it is achieved and accomplished. See what a conquest it is.
1. The enemies are overcome and terribly broken ; there is a total dissipation of all the powers of darkness. It is expressed in scripture by bruising the head of Satan, Gen. iii. 15. Christ received a slight hurt in the conflict ; his heel was bruised, but the serpent's head is broken : 1 John iii. 8, ' The Son of man came to dissolve the works of the devil.' All the fabric of iniquity is analysed and dissolved, — all the webs and plots of wickedness are unravelled. The dragon is cast out, Rev. xii. 9, being combated by Micliael and his angels. Sin is con- demned in the flesh, Rom. viii. 3. Corruptions captivated, 2 Cor. x. 5. The world overcome, John xvi. 33. Wicked and adverse powers and dominations in the world broken to pieces and grounded to powder, or else gained and forced to yield to the uses and glory of Christ.
2. Not barely overcome and dissipated, though that were much, but spoiled and rifled. Christ hath divided the prey : Col. ii. 15, ' And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.' They are spoiled by disarming the strong man, and dividing his spoils, Luke xi. 22. God hath spoiled and dispossessed Satan of the souls that were taken captive by him at his pleasure ; they are recovered into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. The nations are got from under his obedience, and subdued to the power of the gospel. So deatli and hell are under his jiower ; they are, as it were, under lock and key. Satan had the power of them heretofore, and then men were always under bondage : Heb. ii. 14, 15, ' That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil ; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life- time subject to bondage.' They durst not think of judgment and hell, because Satan had them in his power as God's executioner ; but now, saith Christ, ' I have the keys of death.' The world is despoiled of all its wit, wealth, glory, and power ; these are made to serve tlie uses of Christ, being recovered out of the chains of wicked men : Micah iv. 13, ' And thou shalt beat in pieces many nations, and shalt consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and tlieir substance unto the Lord of the whole earth ;' Zech. xiv. 14, 20, ' The wealth of the nations shall be gathered together. . . . And u])on the bells of the horses and the pots in Jeru-