[1.] Certain it is that Christ himself was bruised in the enterprise of redeeming poor captive souls, which showeth how much we should value our salvation, since it cost so dear. The Lord Jesus thought
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not his whole humiliation from first to last too much, nor any price too dear, for overthrowing the devil's kingdom, and rescuing us into the liberty of Grod's children. But how was he bruised by the serpent? Certain it is on the one side that Christ's sufferings were the effects of man's sin, and a demonstration of God's holiness and governing justice. Therefore it is said, Isa. liii. 10, 11, 'It pleased the Father to bruise him.' Unless it had pleased the Lord to bruise him, Satan could never have bruised him. But, on the other side, they were also the effects of the malice and rage of the devil and his instruments. In his whole life he was tempted by Satan, often vexed with his instruments. There- fore he saith, ' Ye are of your father the devil' But the closing stroke was at his death, Satan then doing the worst he could against him. When Judas contrived the plot, it is said the devil entered into him, Luke xxii. 3. When the high priest's servants came to take him, ver. 53, he telleth them, ' This is your hour, and the power of dark- ness.' They did prevail at last to cause his shameful death ; this was all they could do ; this was the time the devil and they were permitted to work their wills upon him.
[2.] No christians are exempted from trials of their sincerity. God will have all obedience to be tried and honoured by opposition, and sometimes by grievous and sharp opposition : Rev. ii. 10, ' The devil shall ca.st some of you into prison, that you may be tried.' Thus Job* was permitted to be vexed by Satan for his trial, Job i. 12 ; and Paul had his messenger of Satan to try him, to see what shift he could make with sufficient internal grace against outward and vexatious evils^ 2 Cor. xii. 7, 8. Now it is better to undergo the fiery trial than the fiery torment. Tried we are then, but not destroyed ; yea, sometimes hurried to death, and yet we overcome, Rev. xii. 11. Christ doth prevail upon opposition and by opposition. When Satan's instruments were killing christians, they were pulling down Satan's throne and advancing Christ's; and when they were butchered and slaughtered, yet they multiplied.
4. The means and manner of victory is to be considered. [1.] Christ overcometh this enmity by taking our nature. He might have destroyed him by his divine power, but the conquerer is the seed of the woman, or the Son of God incarnate. He conquered in the same nature that was so lately foiled, and thereby Satan's main design is crossed and counter-worked, which was double— partly to make man jealous of God, as if he were envious of our happiness, and by this false representation to alienate our hearts, and, make a breach between us and him : Gen. iii. 5, ' God knoweth that in the day ye eat thereof ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.' This way would he weaken the esteem of God in our hearts ; but hereby we have a fuller manifestation of his love to make him the more amiable to us : Rom. V. 8, ' But God commended his love to us, that when we were sinners, Christ died for us ;' and John iii. 16, ' God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life ; ' and 1 John iv. 9, 10, ' In this was manifested the love of God tovvards us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and Bent
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his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.' We would be as God, and Christ would be as man. Partly to depress the nature of man, which in innocency stood so near to God ; that was the end of his malicious suggestion. But now it is advanced, and set up far above the angelical nature, and admitted to dwell with God in a personal union : Heb, ii. 16, ' For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.' The nature of man being only assumed by Christ, the angels are not concerned in it immediately. Man had the benefit and honour put upon him, especially in his glorified estate, Eph. i. 20, 21.
[2,] By his passion or death on the cross : Heb. ii. 14, ' Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil' Christ would not only take our nature, but also suffer in it, so to frustrate and make void the devil's design, which was to keep men for ever under the power of death, wherein he had involved him. He had brought sin upon us, and by sin, death, and in this condition, as the executioner of God's curse, he would still have held us, but that Christ came to put us into a condi- tion of holiness and happiness, and so make us capable of eternal life. The devil did not conquer Christ by death, but Christ did conquer the devil. When the Koman soldiers were parting and spoiling his garments, he was spoiling principalities and powers.