The Socinians give us another exposition of these words, as know- ing that insisted on to be no less destructive of their error than the death of Christ is of the power of the devil. The reason hereof, saith Schlichtingius, is, “Quia per mortem Christus adeptus est supre- mam potestatem in omnia; qua omnes inimicos suos quorum caput est diabolus, coercet, eorum vires frangit, eosque tandem penitus abolebit.” But if this be so, and the abolishing of the power of Satan be an act of sovereign power, then it was not done by the death of Christ, nor was there any need that he should partake of flesh and blood for that purpose, or die. So that this exposition con- tradicts both the express words of the apostle and also the whole design of his discourse. No proposition can be more plain than this is, that the power of Satan was destroyed by the death of Christ; which in this interpretation of the words is denied.
5. And hence it lastly appears what was the delivery that was procured for the children by this dissolution of the power of Satan, It respects both what they feared and what ensued on their fear; that is, death and bondage. For the delivery here intended is not merely a consequent of the destruction of Satan, but hath regard unto the things themselves about which the power of Satan was exercised. They were obnoxious unto death, on the guilt of sin, as penal, as under the curse, as attended with hell or everlasting misery. This he delivered the children from, by making an atonement for their sins in his death, virtually loosing their obligation thereunto, and procuring for them “ eternal redemption,” as shall afterwards be fully declared. Hereon also they are delivered from the bondage
452 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
before described. The fear of death being taken away, the bondage that ensues thereon vanisheth also. And these things, as they are done virtwally and legally in the death of Christ, so they are actually accomplished in and towards the children, upon the appli- cation of the death of Christ unto them, when they do believe, And we may now close our consideration of these verses with one or two other observations ; as,—
X. The death of Christ, through the wise and righteous disposal of God, is victorious, all-conquering, and prevalent.
The aim of the world was to bring him unto death; and therein they thought they had done with him. The aim of Satan was so also; who thereby supposed he should have secured his own king- dom, And what could worldly or satanical wisdom have imagined otherwise? He that is slain is conquered. His own followers were ready to think so. “ We trusted,” say they, “that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel,” Luke xxiv. 21. But he is dead; and their hopes are with him in the grave. What can be expected from him who is taken, slain, crucified? Can he save others, who it seems could not save himself? “ Per mortem alterius, stultum est sperare salutem ;”’—“ Is it not a foolish thing to look for life by the death of another?” This was’ that which the pagans of old reproached the Christians withal, that they believed in one that was crucified and died himself; and what could they expect from him? And our apostle tells us that this death, this cross, was a stumbling-block unto the Jews and folly to the Greeks, 1 Cor. i. 18, 28. And so would it have been in itself, Acts ii, 18, had not the will, and counsel, and wisdom, and grace of God been in it, Acts iv. 28. But he ordered things so, that this death of Christ should pull out that pin which kept together the whole fabric of sin and Satan, —that, like Samson, he should in his death pull down the palace of Satan about his ears, and that in dying he should conquer and subdue all things unto himself. All the angels of heaven stood look- ing on, to see what would be the end of this great trial. Men and devils were ignorant-of the great work which God had in hand; and whilst they thought they were destroying him, God was in and by him destroying them and their power. Whilst his heel was brwised he brake their head. And this should teach us to leave all God's works unto himself. See John xi. 6-10. He can bring light out of darkness, and meat out of the eater. He can disappoint his ad- versaries of their greatest hopes and fairest possibilities, and raise up the hopes of his own out of the grave. He can make suffering to be saving, death victorious, and heal us by the stripes of his Son. And, in particular, it should stir us up to meditate on this mysterious work of his love and wisdom. We can never enough search into it, whilst our inquiry is guided by his word. New mysteries, all foun-
VER. 16.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 453
tains of refreshment and joy, will continually open themselves unto us, until we come to be satisfied with the endless fulness of it unto eternity. Again,—
XI. One principal end of the death of Christ, was to destroy the power of Satan: “Destroy him that had the power of death.” This was promised of old, Gen. ui. 15. He was to’ break the head of the serpent. From him sprang all the miseries which He came to deliver His elect from, and which could not be effected without the dissolution of his power. He was “anointed to proclaim likerty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound,” Isa, lxi. 1. To thisend he was to conquer him who detained them; which he did by his death, Col. ii. 15, and so led captivity captive, Ps. Ixviii. 18, stilling this enemy and self-avenger, Ps. viii. 2, binding the strong man, Matt. xii. 29, and dividing the spoil with him, Isa. liti. 12. And this he did by the merit of his blood, and the atonement he made for sin thereby. This took away the obligation of the law unto death, and disarmed Satan. And moreover, by the power of the eternal Spirit, whereby he offered himself unto God, he conquered and quelled him. Satan laid his claim unto the person of Christ; but coming to put it in execution, he met with that great and hidden power in him which he knew not, and was utterly conquered. And this, as it gives us a particular consideration of the excellency of our redemption, wherein Satan, our old enemy, who first foiled us, who always hates us, and seeks our ruin, is conquered, spoiled, and chained; so it teacheth us how to contend with him, by what wea- pons to resist his temptations and to repel his affrightments, even those whereby he hath been already subdued. Faith in the death of Christ is the only way and means of obtaining a conauest over him. He will fly at the sign of the cross rightly made