are in the new testament, where the Lord alone absolutely taken, is used determinately for Christ.

The scripture is very copious in declaring the dominion of Christ, that his empire is uni versal, and his kingdom everlasting. [Mat. xxviii. 18.] "All power," saith our Saviour,

is given unto me in heaven and in earth." And, [Mat. xi. 27.]" all things are delivered unto me of my father." [John iii. 35.] "The father loveth the son, and hath given all things into his hands;" whence he is particularly called, [Acts x. 36.] "the Lord of all," and [I. Cor. xi. 3.] "the head of every man." [Acts ii. 36.] "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly," saith St. Peter, " that God hath made him Lord and Christ, even this Jesus whom ye did crucify:" [Philip. ii. 9, 10, 11.]" God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, or things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father." [Luke i. 31, 32, 33.] "He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob

forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. [Heb. i. s.] Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. [Dan. vii. 14.] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and kingdoms, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." And several other such like passages there are in the holy scripture, which shew the extensiveness and duration of our Saviour's kingdom, that he is king and lord of all.

But, though Christ be thus the universal Lord, and hath a supreme dominion over all, yet the creed particularly terms him our Lord, which intimates some propriety of dominion that he hath over us Christians, as we are immediate subjects of his particular kingdom.

There are some hints and imperfect discoveries in the scripture of two great powers in the universe, contending against each other under their respective heads and leaders; the head of one party being Jesus Christ, and the head of the other the Devil, who is also called in scripture Satan, Apollyon, the Dragon, and the Old Serpent; there being, as it seems

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very probable, one particular spirit by way of eminency called the Devil, who is at the head of that party, which opposeth itself to the son of God and his followers; as appears from the sentence on the wicked at the last day, which is, that they depart accursed into everlasting fire, prepared for [Matth. xxv. 41.)

the Devil and his angels ;" and from other places of scripture which might be enumerat, ed. These two chiefs, Christ and the Devil, have two separate kingdoms; between whom there is a perpetual and unwearied oppositi on ; [Rev. xii. 7, 8, 9.] “And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought a gainst the Dragon, and the Dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not: neither was. their place found any more in heaven; and the great Dragon was cast out, that Old Serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." The kingdom of Christ is represented to us under the notion of a kingdom of fight, as that of the Devil is under the notion of a kingdom of darkness, as in Col. i. 12, 13, "Giving thanks unto the father, who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath deliveréd us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.

Thes. ii. 12.) "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory." And St. Paul was sent to preach the gospel unto the Gentiles, (Acts xxvi. 16.) 66 to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God." And St. Barna bas, towards the conclusion of his epistle, gives an elegant description "of the two ways; the one of light, over which preside the angels of God, who is the eternal Lord'; and the other of darkness, which is subject to the angels of Satan, who is the ruler of wickedness." What number of spirits the Devil drew into his party and interest is unknown to us, for that the scripture hath not revealed it; but our own observation will give us too sad a view of the extent of his kingdom as mongst mankind, where he gradually enlarged his empire, till at length the whole earth was covered with ignorance and darkness and especially at the time of our Saviour's coming into the world, the generality of mankind were so gained and blinded by him, that they had almost lost all right and true notions of God, and were so far sunk into idolatry, that in several places the Devil himself was actually worshipped and adored as God; for proof whereof, I need not cite the oracles at Delphos and other places, who were so ma

ny Devils and impure spirits, seeing the scripture is plain in several places, that several of the Gods whom the Gentiles worshiped, were Devils; as (Deut. xxxii. 17.) "they sacrificed unto Devils, not to God, (Psal. cvi. 37.) yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daugh ters unto Devils; and (1 Cor. x. 20.) the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to Devils, and not to God."

St. John saith, (1 John v. 19.) "That the whole world lieth in wickedness," hō kosmos holos en to ponero keitai, which may be rendered, "the whole word is subject to the wicked one, or to the Devil;" as it was most remarkably at the time of our Saviour's coming in the flesh, when the generality of mankind were the Devil's vassals and subjects; and (Eph. ii. 2.) "being dead in tresspasses and sins, walked according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, and the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience;" whence the Devil is called the God of this world. (2 Cor. iv. 4.) In whom the God of this world hath blinded the eyes of them who believe not;" and the prince of this world: (John xiv. 30.) "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me ;" and (John xvi. 11.)

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