is subverted so Satan is said to be destroy'd when his Kingdom is so and this hath Christ accomplish'd by his Death for he hath Redeem'd the Elect Sons of Men out of the Devil's Power and reduc'd them to his own Kingdom insomuch as Satan hath no more Dominion over them 1. It is evident that Christ hath destroy'd Satan and the Power of Death because his great Design in assuming our Nature was to accomplish this Glorious Work He came into the World not to make himself Great and Honourable and to raise an Earthly Empire which he might easily have done whenever he pleas'd But he came to perform a more dreadful and difficult Undertaking He came to suffer the Punishment due unto us that so he might be a proper Sacrifice and the great Propitiation to satisfie God's Justice and appease his Wrath and Redeem us who were obnoxious to it and subject to the Curse of the Law He came to bear our Sins to be wounded for our Transgressions to be bruis'd for our Iniquities to have the Chastisement of our Peace laid upon him that by his Stripes we might be heal'd Isa 53. 5. He came to live miserably as a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief and at last to die for us to endure God's Anger and undergo Divine Vengeance And he dyed on purpose that he might destroy the Power of Death and that the Curse and Sting of it being left in his own Soul it might do us no hurt Thus his great Design was to deliver us from Death that it might not be a Curse and Horrour to us when we pass through its Gloomy Shaddow that it might not have power to hold us in its Bands but that our Souls might immediately at the expiring of our latest Breath pass into a state of Immortal Life and Unfading Bliss and our dead Bodies revive and breaking the Prisons of the Grave rejoyce in a Glorious Resurrection This was the great Performance for which he came into the World It was for this God the Father appointed him in the Eternal Councils between him and his Glorious Son It was for this the Father sent him Joh. 3. 16. And this was the Work which the Son did chearfully undertake Heb. 10 6 7 8 9 10. It was this great Business which he had in his Mind and Thoughts when he liv'd here on Earth and of which he so frequently discours'd to his Disciples And what Can we think it possible for Christ to fail in the Execution of his principal Design How should he who was declar'd to be the Son of God with Power fail in accomplishing that Work which was the aim of his Mind the desire of his Heart That Work concerning which he expresseth the warmest eagerness of Spirit till it were accomplish'd Luke 22. 15. Nothing certainly shall frustrate what Christ so earnestly intended Nothing can hinder the Believer from partaking the Fruits and Benefits of his admirable Performance Rom. 8. 33 34 35 38 39. No! He Travail'd in the Greatness of his Strength as one Mighty to save Isa 63. 1. Sin Satan and the Power of Death are therefore undoubtedly destroy'd by his Death For tho' he dyed yet he fell in the Field of Victory and all those Enemies lay conquer'd by his side and he conquer'd them that we might rejoyce in him as being more than Conquerors through him who hath lov'd us and done so much for us Rom. 8. 37. 2. That our Lord Jesus Christ hath destroy'd the Power of Death is apparent from his having disarm'd it of its Sting and Power What is the Power of Death 'T is Sin and when this is taken off from our Consciences the other in whatever unpleasing Forms of Diseases it approacheth us is really nothing more but an easie Sleep in the Bosom of Jesus What makes Death a Curse 'T is Sin What puts a Sting into it Nothing but Sin and when that is remov'd Death hath no Curse in it to blast us no Sting to annoy us but is chang'd into a Blessing Now our Lord Jesus hath made an end of Sins Dan. 9. 24. He hath taken off the Guilt of them from the Conscience of the Believer and purg'd it from dead Works that he may draw nigh to a reconcil'd God and to his satisfied Justice in full assurance of Faith Heb. 10. 22. How hath he remov'd the Guilt from us By taking it on himself And how did he become Guilty in the Judgment of a Just God and his Righteous Law Not as having committed any Sin not as having any inherent in him but as having our Iniquities imputed to him He was made Sin for us and so was adjudg'd Guilty and oblig'd to suffer the Punishments which he had deserv'd And this was absolutely necessary for our Pardon and Justification We could not have been made the Righteousness of God in him unless he had first been made Sin for us 2 Cor. 5. 20. Thrice Blessed then is the Believing Soul whose Sins and Guilt and Punishment Christ hath born For whom Christ hath sufferd the Anger of an Incensed God which he the wretched Sinner had provok'd For whom Christ hath satisfy'd Divine Justice and answer'd the Law To whom therefore Iniquity is not imputed Rom. 4. 8. And for that reason Death is depriv'd of its Power and can do him no hurt And for whom Christ hath brought in everlasting Righteousness Dan. 9. 24. That his naked Soul being cloath'd with it may when divested of the Body appear with confidence before a Holy and Righteous God 3. It cannot be deny'd that our Redeemer hath destroy'd Satan and the Power of Death Forasmuch as he hath put a stop to his Accusations Put a stop did I say I did not speak enough Christ hath invalidated them they are of no force and vertue they are frivolous Gavils and are rejected at God's Court of Justice Is Satan thus thrown over the Bar that he cannot implead the Believer nor lay any thing to his charge Rom. 8. 33 Why then truly he is destroy'd for it is the Pleasure the Strength the very Life of his Soul to be an Accuser This is the Name that is given him to express that Temper and Disposition which is inseparable from his Nature Rev. 12. 10. And therefore when he is cast down when he is thrown out of this ill Office which was his Malicious Delight he is wholly dis-spirited Nor is Satan's Courage and Strength only enervated but the Power of Death is broken too When doth the fear of Death prevail over a Man 'T is when his Apprehensions of are not only disquieting but tormenting 'T is when Conscience flasheth Guilt in a Sinner's Face and Satan joyning with it enforceth the Accusation and urgeth it with the greatest vehemence on purpose to drive the wretched Soul to despair But our Lord Jesus disanulls these Accusations insomuch as they are of no force against a Believer Were it not for this Satan would perplex the poor Soul all its Days
raiseth the Dead Bodies of Believers from the Grave by his Spirit which develleth in them Rom. 8. 11. This last Day is the Day of Christ's compleat Victory when as himself was Victorious over it at his own Resurrection so all his Members in theirs shall Triumph over it too Then he will appear with all whom he Redeem'd and whom he now makes entire Conquerors by vertue of his Victory and he will appear as having made a Conquest over the Grave it self 1 Cor. 15. 25 26. For he must Reign 'till be put all his Enemies under his Feet and the last Enemy which shall be destroy'd is Death Then the Bodies of all the Elect which have lain for so many Ages in the Grave shall at last have the dark Prisons open'd and ascend Triumphant over Death it self How Great and Glorious will that Day be in which at one Word of Command from Christ the Earth and Seas shall give up the Dead which are in them Rev. 20. 13. and all the Bodies of the Saints shall come forth new form'd like unto Christ's Glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself Phil. 3. 21. when we shall meet the Patriarchs and Prophets the Apostles and Martyrs and all our Relations and Friends who have slept in Jesus in the Morning of the Resurrection and see them shining in Glory and our Lord Jesus with refulgent Majesty at the head of them What an Illustrious appearance of things will this be Never was there brighter day then this when Christ shall make an utter End of Death as he hath conquer'd and destroy'd Satan who had the power of it As there is no Truth in the Gospel but may and ought to be practically applyed let us see what use we may make of this Important Doctrine which I have endeavour'd to Explain and prove to you USE 1. Is it so that Satan hath the Power of Death over the Soul and Conscience of every unbeleeving Sinner Then every one of you who have not believ'd in Christ tremble at the thoughts of your dismal condition Seriously reflect upon your present misery and future danger What can be more deplorable then your present misery You are not only under the Tyranny of Satan and a base vassal of his dark Empire You are not onely servilely addicted to his obedience but you are also expos'd unto all mischeifs which he may and will do you by exercising that power which he hath of Death He will strengthen and increase that spiritual Death which is in your Souls for he will prevailingly tempt you to Evil and sad experience may convince you that a Man by continuing in Sin and frequent commission of it grows more and more Insensible and Dead and all the powers of his mind are more weaken'd to any Holy or good Action and the more he Sins the more he becomes Slave to it What a dismal consideration is this And yet this is the woful state of every unbeleever And now do but look beyond the spaces of Time and this World and take a due prospect of your future danger If you Dye in this condition it is not more certain you are now alive then that you will be condemn'd nay are 〈◊〉 condemn'd already to Eternal Death The indignation and wrath of a provok'd God will be pour'd out upon you Rom. 2. 8. 9. And who knows the power of his Anger Psal 90. 11. Who then can bear it USE II. Hath Death entred into the World by Sin let then our sorrow for our Dead Relations and Friends sharpen our hatred and indignation against it In every Sickness we see or feel the effects of it and tho' our Freinds Dye in the Lord yet their Death shows us what Sin brought into the World and when we hear them breathing out their last Groans this may bring to our minds what mischief Sin does Let us consider that tho' our Lord Jesus Christ has obtain'd the pardon of Sin and taken away the infliction of Vindictive justice yet it is true that by every Sin which we commit we displease God and so displease him that he will make us to feel his Fatherly correction He will put us in mind by some severe chastisement how we have been wanting in our duty and that we have done that which has not been right in his sight This sad occasion then which causes us to Mourn for the loss of our Freind may at the same time make us Mourn for our Sins Were it not for them this had never been for both he and we should have been Immortal and so never have parted Therefore the greater our loss is let us detest our Sins the more Now to Press this thought upon you and to excite in you and my self a just hatred and indignation against Sin by which we have displeas'd God and which is the cause of that loss under which we Mourn Let us consider the worth and excellency of the Person who God has been pleas'd to move from us I know very well that Sermon 's Preacht upon such occsions are too much abus'd to flattery but there is no fear of it in this case for there is no need of it I shall onely speak that of our Friend and Brother Deceas'd which all that were acquainted with him must acknowledge to be true And to speak the truth can't be imputed to Favour Affection or any prejudicate opinion If we consider him as a Man or as a Christian there was every thing in him to endear him to us He was of an excellent benign temper rarely provok'd to anger and if he were it must be from some weighty cause and yet even then his passion was soon over He was a Man prone to do good ready to receive the distressed active to promote any publick interest any cause of Christ and the prosperity of his Church He was a Man of a discerning penetrating Spirit of great strength of mind of a firm and sound judgment and yet which was an excellency most to be admir'd He was not proud of these admirable endowments And as God had bestow'd upon him these natural abilities and therefore to praise them is to praise God the author of them and to give him the Glory So he took care to improve them and to cultivate the rich Soyl. He was industrious to encrease his knowledge by a severe application to God and useful studies But you 'll say these are but humane accomplishments knowledge Learning and Generosity of Spirit were found in many of the Philosophers who knew not Christ 'T is true but our dear Friend and Brother knew and loved Jesus Christ and his Gospel and in the whole course of his Study those were most delightful to him that led him into the Mysteries of our Redemption The knowledge of Divine things most ravisht his Soul and was the Element in which his Spirit breath'd and as he lov'd the Gospel so he understood the truths of ît
and weary it out by continually accusing it and distract it at the last moment of Life It must be acknowledg'd indeed that the Devil is often permitted to disturb many Holy Persons with his Accusations But what then Christ who hath ruin'd his Power in this respect steps in to the Soul's Rescue and driving Satan off prevents the attempted Mischief and restores Peace to the Afflicted Conscience 4. It is evident that this our mighty Saviour hath deliver'd us from the Power of Satan because he hath recover'd our Souls out of that Spiritual Death into which Sin and the Devil had thrown them This was the Strength of the Devil's Empire in us for he could never have rul'd us had we not been dead in Sin nor have led us Captive had we not been thus weaken'd 'T is this Spriritual Death that makes Men an easie Conquest to him and secures the Peace of his Dominion in their Hearts Christ therefore by quickening the Soul which is dead in Trespasses and Sins Eph. 2. 1. frees it from the Power of Satan and Death He thereby gives us a new Life from the dead and we are not within the Dominions of the Devil any longer for the Spirit of a Believer is Life Rom. 8. 10. and he is therefore no Subject of Death's Kingdom And to strengthen our Assurance that if we are Believers we are quickned with Christ Col. 2. 13. and so are no more any part of Satan's Empire than he himself is Let us consider that our Lord Jesus hath Life in himself for this purpose that as he Lives we may live also God hath therefore given to the Son to have Life in himself as he hath Life in himself Joh. 5. 26. This assigns the cause of what is said V. 25. Why the Dead should hear the Voice of the Son of God and they which hear shall Live It is the Soul's Vivification by the Voice of Christ in the Gospel that is meant For the Hour that Christ speaks of as now coming and instantly present must import the time of the Preaching of the Gospel which was very near whereas the Day of the Resurrection was Seventeen Hundred Years distant in Futurity The cause why the Voice of Christ makes dead Souls live is assign'd v. 26. The Son hath Life in himself and therefore Quickens whom he will v. 21. Thus that Spiritual Death in our Souls by which Satan once kept us under his Subjection is remov'd and so his Power and Dominion over us is destroy'd 5. It is plain it is openly visible that Christ hath destroy'd Satan who hath the Power of Death inasmuch as he hath broken his dark Kingdom subverted his Throne depos'd him from that Authority so arrogantly assum'd by him and thrown him out of that Empire which he had usurp'd in the World This Christ hath done not by Arms but by Dying As Sampson his Type kill'd more at his Death than he had through his whole Life and tho he dyed yet fell a Conqueror So our Great Saviour destroy'd all his and our Enemies by dying and in the sight of all the Angels triumph'd over them when he Ascended after his Victory and will at last openly triumph before the Eyes of all the World when he shall sit on his Throne having all his Enemies put under his Feet Hoh 1. 13. Heb. 10. 13. 6. The Believer knows by his own Experience which is more convincing than all Arguments which can be urg'd that Christ hath deliver'd him from the Power of Satan and Death because he feels himself freed from the fear and bondage of it He knows that Christ hath made his Peace with God and brought him into a Justified State insomuch as nothing can be laid to his charge and therefore is not afraid to go to a Reconciled God who hath fully Pardon'd and perfectly Justified him He sees his Soul sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus as that of the Paschal Lamb was on the Posts of the Israelites Houses Exod. 12. 13. and knows himself secure from any destroying Angel the Instrument of God's Vengeance In what a Horror were they on that dismal Night when Death march'd in pompous Destruction through all the Cities of Egypt But how were they re-assur'd and comforted when they saw the badge of their Safety on the Posts of their Doors In what a Consternation is a poor Soul when he regards Death not only as his Dissolution but as having the Wrath of God his offended Justice and all the Horrors of Hell joyn'd with it to render it terrible But when he sees his Conscience sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus and purged from Dead Works that he may draw nigh to God in full Assurance of Faith he dreads Death no longer when he sees Christ the Captain of his Salvation to be with him to hearten comfort and support him in charging through this difficult Pass he is not apprehensive of any danger but encouraged by his Presence tho he go through the Valley of the Shadow of Death yet he fears no Evil Psal 23. 4. And is so far from thinking it to be any Unhappiness to die as he desires to depart and to be with Christ Phil. 1. 23. 7. Every Instance which we have of a Believer's dying proves the Assertion of my Text and Doctrine for even by this Death our Lord Jesus finisheth the Ruine of Satan and of the Power of Death The Believer's Victory is now compleated who is more than Conqueror through the Power and Strength of Christ he had before fought many a Battle with Satan and put him to flight He had often resisted Sin successfully and given it a Repulse And now he conflicts with his last Enemy and overcomes and his Death is a Triumphant Chariot to carry him to Heaven where he rejoyceth in a safe Retreat from all Sin and Misery It is there he is out of the reach of all Evils It is there that being freed from the Body of Sin and Death under which he groan'd Rom. 7. 24. he feels Diseases and Pains and Pangs of Dying no more It is there he is plac'd out of the reach of Satan's Temptations and violent Assaults for tho that Active and Malicious Spirit pursued him with the fiercest Rage while in this World yet he cannot follow him to Heaven nor will any of his Batteries carry so far Thus the Day of Death is the Day of a Believer's finish'd Victory in which he may truly say he is more than a Conqueror Rom. 8. 37. And then the Blessed Soul is remov'd from a wretched Abode to an happier Mansion and by Death comes to be more closely united unto God the Spring of all Life and to the compleat Enjoyment of that which is Eternal which is God's Gift to him who first begun it in him by his renewing Spirit and brought him to the entire possession of it at last 8. The last and most signal Evidence of Christ's destroying the Power of Satan and Death will be when he