be suppos'd that our Sin is like theirs of the same Nature tho' differing in Circumstances and Qualities as a River alters from its Fountain I will not deny but this History of the Fall of the Angels may be apply'd by the Apostle to Illustrate the Conflicts and final Victory of the Church upon Earth against the Malice of Men and Hell and may very fitly be understood so in this same Chapter But this does in no ways derogate from the Truth of the Fall of the Angels and of their War in Heaven No but by supposing it and applying it to the Church does more strongly Confirm the Truth of it Or rather indeed does but continue the Story for the War that is now upon Earth 'twixt the Devil and the Church is but the continuance of the same Quarrel which he fought in Heaven against St. Michael and his Angels But the Collect for this Day applies the Consideration of the Epistle and Gospel and proper Lessons to the Angels of Heaven to which they primarily belong And there being many days indeed all the other Holy days of the Year wherein we remember the Conflict of the Church against the Devil let Us imploy this one Day as set apart to consider the first and great Battle that Lucifer fought in Heaven according to such light as the Scriptures give of it particularly those chosen for this Day Especially from these words of my Text. There was War in Heaven The Sin of the Devil is generally agreed to be Pride And that from good Authority of Scripture Is xiv 12. How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer Son of the Morning for thou hast said in thine heart I will exalt my throne above the Stars of God I will be like the Most High Again Ezek. xxviii 14. Thou art the anointed Cherub and I have set thee so thou wast upon the holy Mountain of God Thine heart was lifted up because of thy Beauty thou hast Corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy Brightness Tho' this by the Prophet was applyed to Men yet it was by allusion to the Pride of the Devil Thus far in the General that it was Pride And it 's commonly said to be an Aspiring to be Equal with God But that cannot be directly for we cannot suppose such Absurdity in an Angel but by Consequence if you please and from Consideration of the Nature of Pride which sets no bounds to its Ambition for he that desires to be High would he not be Higher and Highest which is in consequence to be God But now as to the Particular Instance of his Pride the Occasion the Contest and the Issue of this first Discontent of the Devil which rais'd a War in Heaven let us with Humility inquire bounding our thoughts within the Rule of Gods word to infer no Doctrine contrary to any express Command in Scripture let Us make a Resignation of whatever we earn in this Harvest by Dedicating the whole to Glorify and Exalt the Doctrine of Christ and vindicate His Virtue from its sorest Enemies We know the Incarnation of Christ was Reveal'd to Man Gen. 3.15 Four Thousand Years before it came to pass And we are not to suppose that so Glorious a Mystery was conceal'd from the Angels We are told 1. Tim. 3.16 that it was declared unto the Angels And Tit. 1.2 That it was promiss'd Before the World began which cou'd not be to Man And 1. Pet. 1.12 That the Angels desire to look into it And the like might be inferr'd from many places of Scripture Particularly from the Verses immediatly before my Text where the Apostle in a Vision seeing this War in Heaven as it were present before his Eyes plainly tells the Cause of it to be the Incarnation of Christ and the Malice that the Devil thence conceiv'd against Christ and against his Church The Dragon stood before the Woman to Devour her Child when she had brought it forth So she brought forth a Man Child who shou'd Rule all Nations And her Son was taken up unto God and to his Throne As you have it in the 4th and 5th ver and thereupon ver 7th he tells you there was a Battle in Heaven 'twixt Michael and the Dragon and their Angels on both sides You will observe that in this as in other Prophesies and Visions things long past and to come are Represented as present and therefore in this Chapter the first Ground of Difference among the Angels the War which thereupon Ensu'd in Heaven and which is still carry'd on to this day upon Earth and the final Issue thereof at the Consumation of the World are all told in one breath as all present together as in a Picture for such they were represented to St. John who in his Vision saw all at one view and thence he speaks of the first Revelation God gave of the Incarnation to Angels or to Man and of the fulfilling thereof in the fulness of time he speaks here of them without distinction as of the self same thing But we who must frame our knowledge by steps let Us begin with the first Revelation and thence Inquire into this War in Heaven and so descend by degrees till we see Christ actually Incarnate as had been Reveal'd Thus then we proceed When the Incarnation was first Reveal'd We reasonably suppose That the Good Angels look'd upon this Infinite Condescention of God as an Act of the greatest Glory in God and in Raptures of Love Ador'd the Divine Goodness But the other Angels who had their Eyes full of their own Glory thought such Condescention Unworthy of God and therefore were loth to believe it at least in that sense they cou'd not understand it being blinded with Pride it was not agreeable to that Notion of God which they had which consisted chiefly in Power and Greatness as they belong to Haughtiness they understood not the Nature of Love which only is Almighty and Conquers in its Condescending And therefore they Argued against it as St. Peter against Christ's Passion Mat. xvi 22. he could not believe Christ meant it in earnest But perhaps to try the Zeal of his Disciples to see how much they would be concern'd against it and shew themselves not indifferent that their God should Die and be Crucified like a Thief therefore Peter wou'd be the first to shew his love to his Master and to shew it more zealously he took upon him to Rebuke Christ for but speaking of such a Thing as if he had heard Blasphemy it was not so much as to be Nam'd or Imagin'd be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee So little did Peter then understand the true Nature and Greatness of Love And to shew that this was the Error of Lucifer our Saviour there rebukes Peter in his Name Get the behind me Satan thou art an offence unto me as if he had been speaking to the Devil himself who first had a wrong Notion of Love and Instilled the
tho' joyn'd in one Person with the Godhead Submit No it provok'd their Contempt their Hatred Rage and Madness against Man and this carrying them still farther from the Sight and Participation of Love consequently Remov'd them far away from the sight of God who is Love 1 John iv 8. And that is the proper definition of Sin and Hell and Misery for Sin and Hell are in Effect the same there is Hell that is Misery involv'd in the Nature of every Sin because all Sin consists in our withdrawing our selves from God who is Happiness Essential and in his Absence only is any Misery or Vnhappiness And consequently the farther we Remove from Him the Greater is our Misery This frees Us from an Objection how God who is all Love can be a Consuming Fire and Inflict Hell For Hell is the Natural Product of Sin But that it proceeds from God is so Untrue that it can only be where He is not But God is every where He is in Hell That is He comprehends Hell and Understands the Nature of it for that is the Seeing of a Spirit or the Manner of its being Present But Hell does not see Him that is Understand His Nature aright which is the Original of Pride and is the being Absent from God and therein Consists their Misery Can Love be said properly to Inflict those Torments which proceed only from the want of Love Or does the Straightness of a Rule Cause the Crookedness of that Line which will not keep to the Rule He that hides his Adultery or his Murder in a Cave may as justly Curse the Sun for the Darkness and the Damps which he Endures as the wicked Blaspheme the God of Love for the Envy and Malice and Vexation which attend upon their Pride Let Us be Judge by our Selves whence do the Terrors of Conscience proceed They proceed from the Sense of Good we have Omitted It is not then the Good which causes those Terrors but on the Contrary the Omitting of that Good The Nature of Love like that of Fire converts every thing into its Self But a Proud Spirit even from thence will draw Arguments of Envy and afflict its Self but this proceeds not from the Nature of Love but from the Nature of Pride therefore Pride in its own Nature is Miserable and Love is always Victorius If any say how is it that Love overcomes Pride after what Manner Let him observe how Light overpowers the Darkness without Noise but Irresistably And the Grosser the Darkness is the Greater does appear the Power of the Light and its Extent the Greater As Death gives place to Life and Truth prevails against Error with such Arms does Love fight against Pride Love is Light and Life and Truth And by whatever Degrees Love does Advance by the same is its Conquest Secur'd and Joy lifts up his head and Sorrow and Shame and Pride fly before his Face Now the Incarnation being the greatest Extent of Love is consequently the greatest Shock and Humiliation of Pride that is possible to be Imagin'd and so most contrary to the Devil the Father of Pride the Greatest Destruction and Ruin of his Principles as it Unites gives Peace and Intire Satisfaction to the Angels of Love so it Distracts and Runs contrary to all the thoughts of Proud Spirits Thus Love which is Happiness in the Abstract becomes a Torment to those who Understand it not by being seen thro' a false Prospect And in their Madness they Blaspheme that Love which is their only Remedy And Curse it because they have Parted from it and the more it Invites them to Return the more do they Fret themselves and in Spight run farther from it which still does more Incapacitate them to Return and this is that makes Hell Immortal And thus it is that the Virtue of Christ's Incarnation and Death wrought down from Earth to Hell to the Confirmation and Perpetual Increase of Misery to the Damn'd Spirits who have stood out proof against the last Remedy the strongest Charm of Love that 's possible the Incarnation of Christ and have seperated themselves from His Love and Pine away a sad Eternity in the Ruins of their Pride Irreparable which grow more Obdurate from its being overcome and from that Triumph of Love in the Incarnation so far beyond all that it looked for or cou'd beleive and which therefore being fulfilled it Hates and Reproaches with an Impotent Despair which is the Anguish of Hell This was the Issue of the War but let us now take a View of the Battle As Korah and his Company were bold to appear before the Lord and Appeal to Him whether Moses or they were in the Right so both Armies of Angels being perswaded of the Justice of their Cause went forth to Battle and were bold both confident of the Victory to Appear and Plead before the Lord for whose Honor each Party did pretend to Fight as it is still with Us which proceeded from the Different Notions they had of God Satan Argu'd the Majesty Soveraignty and Omnipotence of God The Poor Dejected worthless Condition of Man And hence how Absurd and Blasphemous it wou'd be that God shou'd be a Man Subject to Infirmities and Death Against whom Michael Fought from the same Consideration of Gods Omnipotence that therefore God might Incarnate Himself and the more Difficult it did appear to Created Minds the Greater Glory did it bring to God That the ways were Unsearchable by which God did Communicate Himself to His Creatures whose whole Being was a Participation of God and that it was Unexcusable Presumption for a Finit Power to Determine how Intensly an Almighty Love might bestow of its self even to denominate what it Loves to be one and the same Person with its Self Satan tho' Dazzl'd with the Refulgence of Almighty Power yet still pursues his Pride and Contests that if God shou'd Choose a Creature to make one with Himself it sure must be the Worthiest That the Nature so ioyn'd to the Divinity must be Adorable And that it were against the Justice of God to make Noble Spirits serve a Baser than themselves That therefore if any 〈◊〉 must be the Nature of Angels and not the Impure â—eed of Man that God will assume And if an Angel who â—as pretentions beyond Lucifer the Brightest Son of the Morning the Glory of God's First Creation And in this sense he might be said to aspire to be Equal with God even Literally i. e. to be One and the same Person with God Which cannot Rationally be made up of any other Scheme that we hear yet Advanc'd concerning his Rebellion for no otherwise is it possible for Us to imagine how a thought so seemingly Absurd even to Us shou'd arise in the mind of an Angel of being Equal with God But as we have here Deduc't it why might he not think that God might be an Angel as well or rather then a Man And this we may reasonably conjecture
oppose it self out of the excess of Madness and Folly Of which even our present case is not a plainer Instance than what happen'd in the Matter of Korah our Parallel case For we find that the very next day after that Terrible and unexampl'd Destruction of Korah Dathan Abiram and and their Confederates the rest of the Congregation mutiny'd against Moses and Aaron for that very Reason and ran themselves into the same Sin which they had but the day before frightfully bemoaned in the Judgment of their Brethren and fled at the Cry of them for they said least the Earth swallow us up also and yet they made that very swallowing up the Argument of their Rebellion for which 14700 died by a new Plague Many the like Examples are to be found in the History of the Jews and is daily Experimented in our selves who remain Unperswaded by their judgments and Gods dayly Providences over our selves nor want we our Miracles too And may not we allow as great Perversness in the Devil as we have learn'd from him and Improve daily by his Instigation This I think is sufficient to clear the matter of Fact of Lucifer's Discontent and Murmuring even against that Sentence of God to which he had at first Appeal'd And this we have learn'd from the Experience of our selves And from the same we may like wise search out a farther Reason of this so seemingly an unreasonable a Procedure that should make one Act contrary even to what appears to be his own Reason And that as I conjecture is this That Error do's not beget Truth but Encreases to more Error and some men will obstinatly adhere to their Principle and what seems to make against it tho' never so Reasonable if they cannot satisfie it directly they will frame Distinctions and subterfuges to Evade what they are notable absolutly to Deny And this temper is still to be supposed where the Mind is not Vnprejudiced and Equal to the Truth on what side soever it shall appear for that is a Preparative indispensible to the obtaining of any Truth and from the want of which alone were there no other obstruction all Error maintains its Ground against the the most demonstrative Truths From hence it is I conclude that Pride being the Principle of the Rebel Angels contest they cou'd never from thence infer the Incarnation of God tho' inforced upon them with undeniable Arguments unless they should first abandon their Principle because it was the greatest contradiction to their Principle that cou'd possibly be and they would not suffer themselves to be perswaded into that Docible temper which our Saviour requires when he so often repeats that most material Caution Take heed how ye hear for to him that hath more shall be given and he that hath not from him shall be taken even that which he hath Abstinancy will confirm its self into more Abstinancy and a good Disposition will still take in more of Truth and still grow more and more Capable And the Devil not thinking of forsaking his Principle but to Adapt to it the Reasons which were offer'd against it he cou'd nor understand the Incarnation literally as it was Reveal'd but Invented Distinctions and Salvo's to Reconcile it with his Principle at least to make it Militat against his Principle as little as he cou'd As that the Person Incarnated was some Holy Creature begotten by God in an Extraordinary manner and therefore called the Son of God but that it was not very God Himself Or if it must be God himself that it was not Real Flesh and Blood which he Assum'd but only in Appearance and Shew It is said indeed in Scripture that the Devils knew Him but not that they knew Him to be God They call'd Him the Son of God and the Holy one of God and they adjur'd Him by God but I do not find that ever they own'd Him to be God as His Disciples did they gave no such Confession to Him Now as the former Conclusions which I have made of this whole Warfare of the Devils are I confess cheifly drawn a posteriori from consideration of the Effects which it has produc'd especially upon us here Below who are taken Captive by him at his will so in this present Instance I am not a little confirm'd from the prospect of those many-headed Heresies which the Devil has sent into the Christian Church to the Disparagement of her Greatest Fundamental the Incarnation of God Arius and his Bastard Socinus are Generals of the greatest Name in this War they deny the Divinity of Christ tho' upon Different and very Contradictory Pretences Simon Magus was first in Commission among those falsly call'd Vnitarians after him the Ebionites said that Christ was God but not from Everlasting the Nestorians that He became God by Merit but was not the Son of God before the Incarnation the Macedonians that He was not of one Substance with the Father The Alcoran calls Him the Messiah and the word of God but not the Son of God and they allow not that He was Crucified as the Theopaschites not supposing it forsooth consistant with the Justice and Greatness of God but that another man suffer'd in His place others said that Christ did not really hang upon the Cross but that His Passion was Only in Shew such were the Cordonites the Eutychians and Manicheans that His whole Passion is to be understood Allegorically and not according to the Letter which is maintain'd by the Family of Love who likewise make an Allegory of His Incarnation the Manichees Eutychians Marcionites and Saturnians held that He had neither Human Body nor Soul but was Man in Appearance only the Eunomians Arians Apollinarians and Theopaschites that He had a Body without a Human Soul And these Ancient and Pestilent Heresies are still kept alive amongst us they are Gather'd together and Improv'd by the Quakers who Deny the Humanity of Christ and the Divinity of Jesus They will not allow the Incarnation of Christ that is that He took the Nature of Man into His own Person only as the Socinians speak that He Dwelt in or did Inspire the Person of that Man Jesus as the Prophets of old and other Good-Men Now tho' not in so High a Degree as He did Inspire Jesus Thence they take the Name of Christ to Themselves and say that it belongs to Them as well as to Jesus to every Member as well as unto the Head And in this sense they allow Jesus Christ to be the Son of God not Properly but in a Large Sense as we are call'd the Sons of God They allow that the Body of Jesus was that Prepared Body in which Christ or the Light within as they call Him did for a time Reside and therefore that it might be call'd the Body of Christ as a Man's House Garment or Vaile is call'd his who owns or Possesses it But not as a Man's Body which is Part of himself Some Principles of the Elect
be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the Breadth and Length and Depth and Height And to know the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge that thus ye may be filled with all the fulness of God Observe how the Inspir'd Apostle Rejoyces even to Extasie upon this Subject The fulness of God that is all we or any Creature can hold of Him consist's in what we Understand of the Nature of Love And then to our Eternal Comfort the Love of Christ passes all Knowledge that is no Knowledge can comprehend it all and therefore it can afford still new Matter of Joy and Rapture to all Created Understandings for Ever and Ever And may not this Contemplation raise us to the Courage of an Apostle it will certainly if we let this Good Seed stay in our hearts till it take Root if we do not choke it with the foolish Principles of Pride or make it give place to Cares and Riches and Pleasures of this Life it will bring our hearts to the firmness of an Angel and make Us see nothing that can Terrifie Us We will be ready to joyn with St. Paul in his holy Exultation and say Who shall seperate Vs from the Love of Christ shall Tribulation or Distress or Persecution or Famine or Nakedness or Peril or Sword as it is Written for thy sake are we kill'd all the day Long we are counted as Sheep for the Slaughter nevertheless in all these things we are more then Conquerors through Him who Loved us for I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor Height nor Depth Rom. viii 35. nor any other Creature shall be able to Seperate Vs from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And now as a Conclusion to all that has been said we may learn this that the best Guard we can have against falling into Heresie is to Watch carefully against all the Inroads and Temptations of Pride which I have shewn to lie at the bottom of all Heresies as the Source from whence they Spring It Corrupts the Will and by that Viciates the Vnderstanding and Inclines them by a strong Byass to the side of Error and in Prejudice of the Truth which is always Founded upon and Accompany'd with the opposit of Pride that is Love and Goodness which is Naturally Productive of a Sweetness and Humility of Temper that Renders us Docible and Vn-prejudic'd without which Truth cannot be Duly Discern'd but is Clouded from Perverse and Obstinate Minds And as the Humility of Love is the best Preservative against Error and Heresie so is it the surest Defence against most sort of Sins in our Private Conversation especially it Enables us most Effectually to Perseverance in the Faith against that Fiery Tryal of Persecution which in one sort or other 2 Tim. 3.12 comes to most Mens share that will live Godly in Christ Jesus But there is an higher Pitch of Perfection even than this And that which I wou'd raise Men to and desire to Imitate my self is that whereof the Dayly Exercise and Improvement is by Gods great Mercy and Goodness afforded to every one of us which is not only to bear the Persecution or the Pride of others which some may do even out of Pride Obstinacy or other Vicious Principle But chiefly to banish Pride out of your selves to look upon the meanest Man in the World as a Member of Christ and so equal to your self And therefore to Condescend to the Lowest Offices that may do him Good to bear his Infirmities and Injuries with Patience which is the true Magnanimity as Christ also did bear ours And that you think this so far from being Dishonorable as that you may esteem it the Greatest Glory and Praise of Love wherein the Happiness of Heaven does consist And if Angels were thrown out of Heaven for Despising Man and Christ Died to Redeem Man and is Himself a Man and Loves and Values the meanest Man what is that Man that Despises another And if even in Heaven there was War and Folly and Blasphemy among the Angels there and misunderstanding the Nature of God how shou'd this make us Patient to one anothers Infirmities How Solicitous and careful to Secure our selves How Reasonable will it hence appear to keep a watchful Eye upon the least progress of Pride or Self-conceit which was Potent to Disturb the Seat of the Blessed and overthrow Spirits which were Heavenly-Born That therefore you shou'd justly abhor the Pride of this World to see a Man Despise not only his Inferiors which was the Sin of Angels but his Equals and Superiors To think himself beyond every Man he meets and that it is below his Greatness Forsooth to receive an Injury from any this is the Character of a Hero so much courted in Romances and Plays the Gospel of this Worlds Honor a Fool swell'd with Pride even to Blasphemy Is it not Nauseous to see Him brave Thunder whose Scull is not proof against the sliding of a Tyle from a House top a weak piece of Flesh whose Foundation is in the Dust the food of Worms that is crushed before the Moth A man that is not able to Encounter a Disease to hear him Railly against God! and to think this either Wit or Courage that Men of Spirit as they call themselves shou'd be fond of a Vice which proceeds Meerly from want of Sense And not rather to follow the Advice and Example of a God which is that you wou'd think it your Greatest Honour to become Innocent and Harmless Loving and free from Pride as little Children are which is taught in the Gospel for this Day and that with such Courage that you wou'd rather Choose to Pluck out your Eyes and Cut off your Hands than to Offend the Least the most Inconsiderable of Mankind who are Created by God after His own Image and are the Price of the Blood of Christ That you wou'd believe the Argument of Honour to be Decided which has been Bandy'd by the Angels of Heaven and Determin'd there by God Himself that it Consist's in Love and not in Pride but more sensibly by the Incarnation and Sufferings of Christ which makes it as it were Visible to our Eyes That you wou'd therefore suffer your selves to be perswaded by your own Reason which will shew you the restless Miseries which attend upon Pride and the Beauties and Great Glory of Love in the which if â—â—u can 〈…〉 selves you have already tasted of Heâ—â—â—â— and are Heirs of Immortal Honour Amen And let this Comfort us in our Faint Longings Languid Attempts and many Failings in our Spiritual Warfare And let this silence all our weak Murmurings at the Providence of God which has for Infinitly wise Ends not Fathomable by us Permitted the Fall of Man and Wars and Divisions upon Earth since for this End no Doubt among many others He has made known to us that There was war in Heaven And that as the Conquest can be only by His Strength and Grace in us so it will End in Infinit and Eternal Victory and Triumph to those who Trust wholly in Him by Faith in Christ Humbled and Crucifi'd for us and who follow him Manfully to the end of that Race which He our Great Prophet and Guide has not only Pointed out to us but as our Captain has Led us and Run before us and Fought the same Fight which He wou'd have us to Fight and wherein he will Assist us and Protect us that the Gates of Hell shall never Prevail against us And has already in Our Cause and in in our Name and Nature Triumphed over every Power of the Enemy and taken Possession of Heaven for us as our Head the Soul and Life of that Body whereof we are Members And as the Soul do's Actuate all the Members of the Body consequently it must Raise all the Members with the Body So that all who Partake of the Spirit of Christ are sure that that Spirit must Raise up their Bodies as Certainly as it did Raise up the Body of Christ Rom. viii 9.11 Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His But if the Spirit of Him who Raised up Jesus from the Dead dwell in you He that Raised up Christ from the Dead shall also Quicken your Mortal Bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you Amen FINIS