2. The nature of this enmity. It is double; as on Satan's part, both of nature and design, so on Christ's part, both of nature and office.
[1.] There is a perfect enmity between the nature of Christ and the nature of the devil. The nature of Satan is sinful, murderous, and destructive, for it is said he was a liar and murderer from the beginning, as before. So 1 John iii. 8, ' He that committeth sin is from the devil, and the devil sinneth from the beginning;' ver. 12, ' Cain was of that wicked one who slew his brother.' It is the devil's work to do all the hurt and mischief that he can to the bodies and souls of men, but the nature of Christ is quite contrary. It is his work to do good, and only good : Acts x. 38, ' God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him.' Christ did nothing by way of malice and revenge ; he used not the power that he had to make men blind, or lame, or to kill any ; no, not his worst enemies ; but he went up and down doing good, giving sight to the blind, limbs to the lame, health to the sick, life to the dead ; he rebuked his disciples when they called for fire from heaven to consume those that despised them, telling them they knew not what spirit they were of, Luke ix. 55, 56. No; all his miracles were acts of relief and succour, not pompous and destructive ; bating only the blasting of the unfruitful fig-tree, which was an emblematical warning to the Jews, and his permitting the devil to enter into the herd of swine, which was a necessary demonstration of
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18 SERMON UPON PSALM VIII. 2.
the devil's malice and destructive cruelty, who, if he could not afflict men, Would destroy swine.
[2.] An enmity of design ; for Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, 1 John iii. 8, as the devil seeketh to oppose the kingdom of Christ. Christ was set up to dissolve that sin and misery which Satan had brought upon the world ; and the devil sought to keep it up and hinder our salvation. The devil is the disturber of the creation, and Christ the repairer of it ; and these two, salvation and destruction, are perfectly opposite.
Now such an enmity as there is between Christ and ^tan, such there is also between the confederates on either side.
(1.) An enmity or contrariety of nature. The seed of the serpent inherits his venomous qualities ; for as they are an estate opposite to God, so they are to the people of God. All people of a false religion, whether infidels, or idolaters, or heretics, are of bloody and desperate principles, partly by the influence of their great guide and leader, partly because their false religion efFerateth their minds, and stirreth them up into a blind, bitter zeal : ' These go in the way of Cain,' Jude 11. On the other side, Christ conveyeth his holy, meek, and lamb- like nature to his sincere worshippers and followers. Their righteous souls are vexed indeed with the impure conversations of the wicked, but so as to stir them up, not to passion, but compassion. They are grieved to see people go by droves to hell, and would fain rescue them out of the snares of the devil, but aim not at their destruction : Jude 22, 23, ' And of some have compassion, making a difference ; and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire ; hating even the garment spotted with the flesh.'
(2.) There is an enmity of design, seeking to pull down what Satan would set up, all that sin, idolatry, error, and superstition whereby the world is corrupted : 2 Cor. x. 4, 5, ' For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong- holds, and casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into cap- tivity every thought to the obedience of Christ ; ' that is, to bring down all the disputings and reasonings and prejudices which are raised up against the power of the gospel, and hinder the acknowledgment and practice of the truth. Satan's end is to draw men into sin and damnation, and to dishonour God ; theirs, to glorify God in the world, and save their own souls, and the souls of all about them.
3. This enmity of Satan and his instruments is carried on, both against Christ and his people, with much rage and fury : ' I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel,' Gen. iii. 15. Ther6 is something common to both ; for the word ' bruised' is used mutually both of the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. In this war, as usually in all other, there are wounds given on both sides. The devil bruiseth Christ, and Christ bruiseth Satan ; only Christ's heel is bruised, but the devil's head is crushed ; that is, he is finally destroyed.