3. It was only his heel that was bruised. It could go no further ; for though his bodily life was taken away, yet his head and mediatory power was not touched : Acts ii. 36, ' This same Jesus whom ye have crucified, God hath made both Lord and Christ.' Again, his bodily life was taken away but for awhile. God would not leave his soul in the grave : Ps. xvi. 10, ' Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.' The counsel and purpose of God concerning man's redemption had then been wholly frustrated : ' For if Christ be not risen, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins,' 1 Cor. xv, 17. Once more, though Christ was bruised, yet he was not conquered. When the Jews and Eoman soldiers were spoiling him, and parting his garments, then was he spoiling principal- ities and powers ; and when Satan and his instruments were triumphing over the Son of God, then was he triumphing over all the devils in hell, for by death he destroyed him that had the power of death. This was a necessary means of conquest ; and Christ must overcome Satan by suffering himself to be overcome visibly by him. The devil doth not conquer Chiist by death, but Christ doth conquer him. And still all the temptations of the devil are but the wounding of the heel ; the loss is not great to Christ or his members : as Dan is compared to ' a serpent by the way, or an adder in the path, that biteth the horse- heels, so that his rider shall fall backward, Gen. Ixix. 17. Such is the craft of Satan ; he doth not usually bring temptations before our reason, but they enter in at the backdoor of sensual appetite ; but though he bite the heel, the life of grace is secured. Satan prevailed so far against Christ that his wicked instruments brought him to the cross, pursued him to the death there. But, 2 Cor. xiii. 4, ' Though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God;' or, as it is in 1 Peter iii. 18, ' Being put to death in the flesh, but quick- ened by the Spirit.' So for christians, he may divers ways wound and afflict us in our outward interests, but the inner man is safe : 2 Cor. iv. 16, 'Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.' Nay, we may be bruised in the heel by divers temptations and slips into sin ; yet the vitals of grace are not hurt, there is no total extinction of our love to God.
I should come now to the fourth branch, that though Christ was bruised in the conflict, yet it endeth in Satan's total overthrow. His heel was bruised, but Satan's head was crushed. But of that anon.
In the meantime, by way of use, let me press you cheerfully to remember and celebrate this victory of Christ. The duty we are
250 SERT^rON UPON GENESIS III. 15.
engaging in is an eucharist, and we come to rejoice in God onr Saviour, Let me bespeak you, in the psalmist's words, Ps. xcviii. 1, ' 0 sing unto the Lord a new song, for he hath done marvellous things ; his right hand and his holy arm have gotten him the victory ; ' or, Ps. cxviii. 15, 16, ' The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the taber- nacle of the righteous ; the right hand of the Lord doth valiantly ; the right hand of the Lord is exalted ; the right hand of the Lord doth valiantly ; ' Ps. cvi. 2, * Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord ? who can show forth all his praise ? '
[1.] The conqueror is the seed of the woman, or the Son of God incarnate. Oh ! let us bless God for so great a mercy : Luke i. 68-76, ' Blessed be the Lord God of Israel ; for he hath visited and re- deemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David ; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began : That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us ; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and I'ighteousness before him all the days of our life.' What ! shall the Son of God come from heaven to subdue the kingdom of Satan, and to deliver men from this bondage, and we be no more affected with it ?
[2.] The manner of overcoming ; it is by suffering a shameful, pain- ful, and accursed death : Rev. i. 5, 6, ' Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests to God and his Father ; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.' Again, * Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing,' Rev. v. 12 ; and ver. 9, * For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ; ' that by a death which he deserved not he should destroy the death which we deserved.