16 SERMON UPON PSALM VIII. 2.
by the power of the long sword, or by visible force and might, but by the breath of his mouth ; that is to say —
[1.] By the word preached. Therefore it is said that he shall consume antichrist by the breath of his mouth, 2 Thes. ii. 8 ; and Rev, xix. 15, ' Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, wherewith he should smite the nations ; ' and Isa. xi. 4, ' He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth,' that is, subdue and vanquish opposition by his wonderful word ; therefore the word is called ' the rod of his strength,' Ps. ex. 2,
[2.] By confessing his name: Rom. x. 9, 10, 'If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved : for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.' And this is one means of conviction, especially when this confession is accompanied with self-denial : Rev. xii. 11, ' They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony ; not loving their lives to the death.' This bold confession is the fruit both of the word preached, and the spirit of faith given to them, 2 Cor. iv. 13, and also of Christ's actual assistance : Luke xxi. 15, ' I will give you a mouth and wisdom which your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay.' Now that by such means the kingdom of sin, Satan, and antichrist should be ruined in the world, this is and should be matter of admiration and praise.
[3. J The effect, to ' still the enemy and the avenger ; ' either by brid- ling their rage : Ps. Ixxvi. 10, * Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain ; ' or silencing their contradiction : Acts vi. 10, ' They were not able to resist the wisdom and spirit by which he spake;' Acts viii. 13, 'Simon wondered, be- holding the signs and miracles that were done ; ' or changing their hearts, as Paul's, Acts ix. 6, and making him to be instrumental in changing others, Acts xxvi. 18, and determining interests, that the church hath liberty and opportunity to worship God : Acts ix. 31, ' Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified, walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost.' Nay, the kingdom of Satan and his adherents plainly and apparently goeth to wreck. The devil, that proud and rebellious enemy of God and goodness, is by this means subdued and brought down ; first cast out of a great part of his king- dom in men's hearts, none but obdurate sinners being left to him: John xii. 31, 32, ' Now is the judgment of this world, now is the prince of this world cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me ; ' that is, the kingdom of Satan shall be de- stroyed, and a great part of the world brought to believe in me. And at last he shall be utterly confounded and destroyed : 1 Cor. xv. 24-27, ' He hath put all things under his feet ; ' all enemies, not one excepted, but shall be subdued to Christ.
Doct That victory over Satan in our nature is matter of great praise and thankfulness to God, that the same nature that was lately foiled should yet be victorious.
1. I take this for granted, that Satan is the enemy and avenger; iox the text speaks of an enemy and enemies, one chief ; for so the
SERMON UPON PSALM VIII. 2. 17
devil is said to be, Mat. xiii. 39, ' The enemy that soweth them is the devil.' He is an enemy to God and man. To Grod, as he affected and usurped divine honour, and for his pride was cast out of heaven into the torments of hell ; falling by pride is therefore called the con- demnation of the devil, 1 Tim. iii. 6, so James iii. 15, * Sensual, earthly, devilish.' The glorious condition in which he was created tempted him to aspire higher than he was ; and all ambition is devilish wisdom, called so from his sin. Also he is an enemy to mankind, because by his temptation came our fall and misery, and therefore he is said to be a mur(^rer from the beginning. A malicious, proud, and bloody murderer of soul and body, and still he seeketh our destruction : 1 Peter v. 8, * The devil like a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he may devour.' In the text he is not only called the enemy and the avenger, but ' thine enemies.' The word ' thine ' showeth that he is an enemy to God, and all goodness, and all good men who belong to God. And the plural expression, ' enemies,' noteth either the multi- tude of evil spirits who are with Satan, and are set to ruin mankind, or those their confederate party in the world, who are also many, and usually great and powerful. For the conflict is not only between the chiefs, but also the instruments on either side ; between Satan on the one side, the head and father of the wicked, and Christ on the other, the captain of our salvation, Heb. ii. 10 ; or between the seed of the ■woman and the seed of the serpent : Gen. iii. 15, ' I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed, and it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.' The seeds are concerned in this enmity as well as the chiefs.