brought down unto hell Matth. 11. 23. Secondly The Dragon in heaven is the Dragon in Glory which is nothing else but the Dragon in an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11. 14. Gal. 1. 8. And no marvel for Satan himself is changed into an Angel of Light And Satan was changed into an Angel of Light in those false Apostles in this respect in preaching another Jesus Spirit and Gospel that was not preached received and accepted and truly we may see the Dragon changed into an Angel of Light in our days in this respect There is another Jesus preached that was not preached not that Jesus which dyed at Jerusalem but one which is within us say some when as he that dyed at Jerusalem and he within us is all one Jesus or another Jesus that is they preach salvation by works another Spirit which is a Spirit of freedom to do any manner of wickedness and another Gospel which is justification by Works not that Gospel which Paul preached That Christ dyed at Jerusalem for our sins according to the Scripture and that he was buried and that he rose again 1 Cor. 15. 3 4. In which saying lies hid more glory than we dream of and is more hard to be believed than many think it is Thirdly The Dragon in heaven is the Dragon at rest for Heaven notes rest See Revel. 18. 7. She saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no Widdow and shall see no sorrow She sits a Queen sitting notes rest she sits a Queen that is as one in State and Honour and no Widdow that is she is in no Widdows state which is a sorrowful state she sits a Queen there is the great red Dragons being at rest in her which is the Dragons being in heaven I shall further illustrate it by these four following things that is to say The Dragon in Heaven is the Dragon in and under things that seem to savour of Piety Zeal Holiness and Righteousness The Dragon in Heaven is the Dragon I say covered over with a seeming savour of Piety Zeal and Holiness He pretends much Piety Zeal and Holiness in Professors much Prayer much Fasting much keeping of the Sabbath much giving of Alms as in the Scribes and Pharisees he did When the Sons of God came to present themselves before God He came with them Job 1. 6. which was to shew how religious he was but under these his specious shews lies subtilty mingled with bloudyness and cruelty Secondly The Dragon in Heaven is the Dragon in Peace for Heaven notes Peace that is at quiet with a Professor that he doth not disturb nor molest him night nor day so that the poor soul knows not what to do Now the Dragon is then in Peace when he sees all is so in the soul as he would have it he will never trouble that soul but if it be not so in the soul as he would have it as it is not in Saints O then he is never at Peace and Quiet but is always tempting and troubling it so that the soul hath no quiet in its Spirit the Dragon thinking thereby to bring about his Designes Thirdly The Dragon in Heaven is the Dragon in joy Now then the Dragon is in joy if I may so say when by his tempting and troubling of a Saint he hath gotten the best of him then he rejoyceth O how merry and joyful he would be indeed if he could quite ruine a Saint The Dragons joyfulness lies in the Saints sadness trouble and overthrow The more or less sad troubled or overcome they are the more or less is his joy Lastly The Dragon in Heaven is the Dragon in a pretended perfect immediate and high enjoyments of God in the Spirit Allegorizing the Scripture and so denying the letter thereof Those whose eys God hath opened cannot but subscribe to this for this is to be seen now a days in Professors O how have they pretended perfect immediate enjoyments of God in the Spirit under pretence whereof denying the Scripture O how they have vaunted and said we enjoy God immediately that is without the Scripture Alas what is the Scripture say they how scornfully they have spoken of it though it be profitable for Instruction that the man of God be throughly perfect to salvation as Paul saith Some there are that Allegorize the Scripture and under pretence of that make void the Letter which allegorizing the Scripture they call the spiritual interpretation of the Letter when as the spiritual interpretation of the letter is that interpretation which the Spirit of God gives of the Letter It is true there are some things in Scripture which are to be taken otherwise then they are set down in the letter that is when they are allegorically parabolically and symbolically spoken But they allegorize every place of Scripture almost which I know no warrant for and so deny the letter I will name but one place of Scripture and that is in 1 John 4. 2. Every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ come in the flesh is of God that is come within us say they And so under pretence of this deny Jesus Christ in manifestation in the flesh and suffering at Jerusalem c. and so utterly overthrow what Christ hath done for us and so they become the greatest Antichrists in the world There are two sorts of Professors in the world that deny Jesus Christ come in the flesh One sort of Professors are those that altogether look at Jesus Christ within them and deny him without them and these are those that deny Jesus Christ come in the flesh and so are the Antichrist There is a second sort of Professors that look at Jesus Christ altogether without them as one suffering at Jerusalem and being raised c. but never look at him as within them they never find the Life Power and Spirit of him within them and so they are Antichrist as well as the other Now that Professor which acknowledgeth Christ come in the flesh and Christ come in his flesh and whose faith is fixed on Christ as one in the Heavens and in every place and as one that is in his heart as well as he is in the Heavens and in every place is not Antichrist If it be so that there is such a thing as the great red Dragon in Heaven then beg of God a sight of him in Heaven for you cannot see him till a door be opened in Heaven to you as there was to John He may stand at your right hand and left hand and you see him not Till you be taken up by the Spirit into Heaven you cannot discern his seven heads ten horns and seven crowns that is to say those multiplicities of subtilties policies and glory wherewith he deceives poor Souls and till you know his tricks you cannot beware of them but he will set upon you on every side and you shall see it not he will blind your eyes that the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus
the world are but one mans wife in unity and all the men in the world are but one womans husband in unity so that one man may lie with all the women in the world for they are his wife in unity and one woman may lie with all men in the world for they are her husband in unity That there is no act that is sinful before God That the holy Spirit is not God That Jesus Christ hath no other then a humane nature These and many others are the Principles that the great red Dragon with his Tail windes into Professors thereby to cast them out of Heaven into Earth And therefore Friends take heed of him he is very subtle his Tail is full of windings and turnings if it were possible he would deceive the very Elect If you be Professors in shew and not in deed he will drag you down from Heaven into Earth that is he will drag you down from your glorious profession into Earth that is into such an estate of earthly-mindedness and wickedness that all that see you and behold you shall say of you as it shall be said of Babylon when she is destroyed Alas alas that great City that was clothed with fine linnen and purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls for in one hour so great riches is come to nought Revel. 18. 16 17. So shall they say of you O glorious Professors that have been as stars shining in Heaven clothed with fine linnen purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls which are nothing but the parts and gifts and righteousness of men Alas alas those glorious Professors for in one hour as it were are they come to nought So that you see how the Dragon draws Professors out of Heaven into Earth by winding with his Tail false and unsound principles into them Quest But may some say You hold a falling away from grace do you not Answ. No but I hold a falling away which is now fulfilled before the day of Christ come spoken of in 2 Thes. 2. 3. And besides I hold a falling away from the end of the Commandment which is Charity out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and of faith unfeigned from which some having swerved have turned aside to vain jangling which was Hymeneus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1. 5 6 20. And also a falling away from the heavenly gifts of those that are inlightened and are made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and of the powers of the world to come Hebr. 6. 4 5. If Professors have reached no further then Charity though it be out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned and no further then a being enlightened and a tasting of the heavenly gifts and a being made partakers of the Holy Ghost and a tasting of the good Word of God and of the powers of the World to come they are liable to be by the Tail of this great red Dragon drawn out of Heaven that is drawn from these into Earth so that they will become earthly filthy vain and the like The third Basis or Thesis upon which I shall build my Discourse is this That there is multiplicity of subtilty strength and glory in the great red Dragon to deceive accuse set upon tempt and destroy This is clear from the words and it will appear to be so from other places of Scripture see Gen. 3. 1. Now the Serpent was more subtle then any beast of the field which the Lord God had made That sheweth that there is a multiplicity of subtilty in him We wrestle not only with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers Ephes. ult. Chap. That place of Scripture sheweth that there is a multiplicity of power in him If thou wilt fall down and worship me saith the Serpent to Christ I will give you all the glory of the world That speaks a multiplicity of glory in the Dragon We shall a little hold forth his subtilty power and glory First we shall speak of his subtilty see Job 1. 6. When the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord Satan he came among them See his subtilty in it under pretence in coming to pray with the sons of God he came to accuse and set upon Job as you shall see by and by And the Lord said unto him From whence comest thou Then Satan answered the Lord From going to and fro in the Earth and from walking up and down in it See his subtilty here in leaving out like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour And the Lord said unto Satan Hast thou considered or hast thou set thy heart on my servant Job that there is none like him in the Earth a perfect and upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evil Then answered Satan the Lord and said Doth Job fear God for nought Hast thou not made a bedg about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side Behold his subtilty again in accusing Job As if Satan should have said Thou hast made a fence against all that he hath and he serves thee for that it is not for nought that he serves thee thou hast encreased his substance and blessed the work of his hand and he serves thee for that but put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath and he will fall acursing of thee and that to thy face And the Lord said unto him Behold all that he hath is in thy power only upon himself put not forth thy hand So Satan goes forth from the presence of the Lord After he had Gods Job away he went it was for Job that Satan presented himself before the Lord Now in Cap. 2. they came the second time to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came with them And the Lord said unto him from whence comest thou And Satan gave him the like answer as before And the Lord said unto him Hast thou consider'd my servant Job a perfect upright man that feareth God and escheweth evil and still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause The subtilty of the Serpent in presenting himself before the Lord was not only to accuse Job but likewise to move God against Job for to destroy him without cause And Satan answered the Lord Skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life But put forth thy hand now and touch his bone and flesh and he will curse thee to thy face See how he further accuseth Job before God that so God might destroy him or that he might have him to destroy As if Satan should have said to the Lord thus All that a man hath before he will lose his life he will part with all yea skin for skin but do but touch his bone and flesh and he will fall acursing of thee
And as for the woman she hath a place prepared for her in the Wilderness from the face of the Serpent Revel. 12. 14. A great blessedness it is though it be in the wilderness that is in a bewilded state for there the child Jesus is kept from the Dragons mouth O ye remnant of the womans seed therefore the Dragon went to make war with you and therefore I will direct my speech to you It is you the Dragon aims at it is you the Dragon will have about with it is you that he will make war with stand to your arms therefore be not without your weapons always in your hands be always girt about with truth and having on the brest-plate of Righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace and above all take the shield of Faith wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Devil And take the helmet of Salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance lest you be conquered and your Jesus devoured before your face Above all take the shield of Faith The best weapon to fight against the Dragon is Faith Quest But you will ask me What is it and how shall we use it I shall according to my light shew you that because Faith is little spoken of now adays and so make an end Ans. First I shall shew you what Faith is It is the fixing of the heart on Christ Ps. 57. 7. It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Hebr. 1. 1. First of all Faith is the substance of things hoped for by us that is it is the ground or confidence of things hoped for it gives us ground and confidence of things that are hoped for by us Secondly It is the evidence of or it is that which evidenceth to our spirits things not seen that is things we do not see it is that which evidenceth to us things not seen or it is the conviction of things not seen by us it convinceth us of things not seen The next thing is how faith is to be used against the Dragon just as Iacob used it when he wrestled with the Angel But how was that See Gen. 32. 24 25 26 27 28 29. And Iacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day And when he saw that he prevailed not against him he touched the hollow of Iacobs thigh and the hollow of Iacobs thigh was out of joynt Here is Iacob and an Angel wrestling together till break of day here is the Angel not prevailing when the Angel saw he prevailed not against Iacob he put Iacobs thigh out of joynt as he wrestled with him which was to try Iacobs faith See here the hollow of Iacobs thigh out of joynt After the doing of which by the Angel he saith Let me go Iacob The Angel would have been gone had not Iacobs faith kept him from going Saith Iacob I will not let thee go without a blessing As if he should have said Bless me and then thou shalt go I must be blessed and I am resolved to be blessed notwithstanding the hollow of my thigh is out of joynt Here is Iacobs faith he would not let go but he would hang upon the Angel still Just as if two were wrestling together and the one should put out the hollow of the thigh of the other and that other though he could not wrestle should hang upon the other and hold him with his hands So it is here Iacob though he cannot wrestle yet he hangs upon and holds with his hands the Angel and is resolved he will hang there and if the Angel went he would go with him hanging upon him unless the Angel blessed him Behold what faith is here When the Angel saw he would not let him go unless he blessed him the Angel asked him his name and he said his name was Iacob And the Angel said Thou shalt no more be called Iacob but Israel which signifies a prevailer and conqueror There is the blessing So that let your hearts be fixed on Christ as one that is not only above you that is to say in the Heavens but also within you and do not mind the Dragon so much as faith in Christ We fight against the Dragon and sin many times and never think of Christ but let your eyes be set upon him and do not wrestle with the Dragon but with Christ against the Dragon and then you wrestle aright We wrestle with the Dragon and not with Christ against the Dragon we never think of him and that is the reason we do not prevail Wrestle with Christ against the Dragon and let your eyes be placed on him and though he touch the hollow of your thigh put it out of joynt as I may so say that is take away your strength so that you cannot wrestle with Christ as many times he doth take away our power to see whether we though we cannot wrestle yet will depend and hang upon him tell Christ if he attempts to go away from you that though you cannot wrestle with him yet you will depend and hang upon him that if he go away it shall be with you hanging upon him though he say to you Let me go yet do you reply again to him and say We will not let thee go except thou bless us Then he will enquire of your names and give you other names and call you Israelites that is Prevailers over the Dragon FINIS