made no unjust conquest over Satan and the powers of darkness, for they detained his lawful subjects in captivity : was it not righteous then to deliver them?

Lastly, It was a most glorious victory. Never was there a victory attended with so great glory to the conqueror, and with so great shame to the conquered. Had Satan, with his auxiliaries, been spoiled by holy angels, he might have alleged that he met with his match; or had he been spoiled by a mere act of omnipotence, he might have boasted that he had put God to his utmost; but to be conquered by the human nature, at which he had a particular spite, and which was lower than his own, to fall by a man, by a dying man, a crucified man, a dead man! what everlasting shame and mortification was this! Moreover, as Satan prevailed over men by an act of subtilty, so Christ prevailed against him, not by a mere act of power, but by righteousness and wisdom; for had he been to have prevailed by power, there was no occasion to assume the human nature.

I come now to speak to Christ's triumph upon this victory. The question is, whether the expression in the text is merely figurative, or if there was a real triumph over the principalities and powers of darkness, by exposing them as conquered enemies, and that too, in a most public manner before God, before all the holy angels, and perhaps before the spirits of just men made perfect. I go in with the last, for the following reasons:

First, The original words in the text, by which the triumph is expressed, intimate the reality of it. The word rendered to make a "shew," is the same with that in Matt. i. 19. which is rendered to make a public example. Moreover, in Num. xxv. 4. when Moses was commanded to take the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, the Septuagint translates the Hebrew word for hanging them up, by the same word with that in our text. Again, the word rendered "openly,” signifies in the sight of others, and in the most public manner.

Secondly, The devil and his angels, being intelligent atures, were capable of being really exposed and put

openly to shame, when defeated in their designs. And therefore, to object that the allusion in our text must be explained, as that in the preceding verse with respect to the law, is not solid: for sin and the law are not persons, but things, and so not capable of being put to shame; but it is evidently otherwise in this case.

And to add no more. The nature and end of a triumph in war, unto which there is a manifest allusion here, leads to this sense. A triumph was always celebrated openly before a multitude; nay, often there were some who shouted all the way, victory, victory; and all this for the honour of the victor, and the shame of the captives: so that if a triumph was carried on privately, it was contrary to its nature, and lost the end of its institution.

Is it so, that Jesus Christ, having by his death on the cross "spoiled principalities and powers, made a shew of them openly?" Then, in the first place, all who fight under Satan, are conquered with him. When a king or general falls in the field of battle, all his supporters fall with him, and are said to be conquered. So Christ having spoiled Satan upon the cross, did at that very instant reach a deadly blow to every one of his supporters. Hence, the law's obligatory bond upon you, believers, was nailed to the cross. The old man of sin was crucified with him. The world was conquered. Death was swallowed up in victory. And, in a word, everything that could militate for Satan against the saints, was removed out of the way.

Secondly, Christians have no ground to be ashamed of the cross of Christ; but, on the contrary, to boast and glory in it. The God of glory having spoiled Satan upon the cross, and made it a chariot of triumph after the victory, has removed the reproach of it, and made it truly honourable. Therefore, believers, while the carnal noisy world are boasting loudly, some in their wisdom, some in their strength, others in their wealth, let your boasting be all the day-long in the cross of Christ. Faith's views of the conqueror, faith's views of the cross as the field of

battle, and the triumphal chariot, will furnish you with the most noble grounds of boasting. Besides, the dignity and honour of Christ's cross should make you boast in your own; for by it Christ puts honour upon you before the world, angels, and men. Hereby he conforms you to himself: and is it not honour to be conformed to him? As he conquered Satan, notwithstanding his cross, nay, by his cross, so he will lead you forth into the field of battle, compassed about with infirmities, pained and borne down with the weight of the cross, and yet you shall return triumphant, even as he did.

Thirdly, By this victory and this triumph, Christ's name is rendered famous for ever. His name, says David, "shall last as the sun.' Time has buried the remembrance of persons and events, and especially victories, which once a day made a mighty noise in the world, and that too, in spite of every means used to perpetuate the remembrance of them. The marble pillars, the statues and monuments, by which the potentates of the world hoped to immortalise their memory, are gone to ruins, as well as their founders. But behold, here is a conqueror and a conquest, the remembrance of both which has been kept up in the world for many hundreds of years, and will be kept up when time shall be no more: nay, it will not end with time, but continue through eternity. To preserve the memory of this victory, the Lord's supper is instituted. If therefore those who are strangers to our commonwealth and covenant of promise, ask us what we mean by covering a sacramental table, and sitting down at it; the answer is at hand; it is to perpetuate the famous name of the man Jesus, the Son of God, who, more than seventeen hundred years ago, being nailed hands and feet upon a cross, baffled all the powers of hell.

Fourthly, No wonder that Satan and wicked men are enemies to the cross. The spirits of the conquered party cannot miss to be ruffled and filled with spite against the conqueror. How must the revengeful and proud spirit of Satan be galled and tortured at the thoughts of his being

foiled by the cross of Christ, which he reckoned could secure all? how great must the fretting and anguish of his spirit be? shall we wonder then, that he and his have done, and are still doing to this day what they can, to ruin the reputation of the cross?

Fifthly, Believers, here is great encouragement for you in opposing Satan, and all your spiritual enemies. They are conquered already by the Captain of your salvation. They have all got such a deadly bruise by the cross, that they shall not be able to overcome you. Christ, indeed, could have bruised them so, that they should not have been able to make the least motion against you; but for the glory of his grace, and for the greater mortification of the prince of darkness, he will have him overthrown and trodden upon by the weakest child in all his family. Resist him then, believers, and all his accomplices, as knowing, that every degree of resistance is a degree of conquest over him. And mind always to exercise faith in the death of Christ, as the most effectual means of opposing him. Let faith present the cross of Christ to him, and he will flee from you ashamed.

Lastly, Enemies of Christ, subject yourselves to him. Join this glorious conqueror. Why do you run against the thick bosses of the buckler of the Almighty? why do you harden yourselves against him? do you imagine you can do so, and prosper? Nay, if you will not bow before him, you shall be broken on the wheel of divine vengeance: therefore desert the enemy's camp this day, and give your hearty consent to have your names registered in Christ's muster-roll: throw away the weapons of rebellion, and take unto you the whole armour of God, so shall you at length be conquerors over sin, Satan, death, and hell.

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SERMON XI.

THE NATURE OF UNBELIEF OPENED UP, AND ITS PERNICIOUS INFLUENCE UPON PROFESSORS OF THE GOSPEL ILLUSTRATED.

HEB. iii. 12.-"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”

FROM the seventh verse of this chapter, the apostle presses the Hebrews to improve the great doctrine about the gospel-prophet, by alleging a sad example of their fathers, who refused to hear and obey him in the wilderness, and were thereby kept from entering into the promised land. Great miracles were wrought for them both in Egypt and the wilderness; miracles of mercy and of judgment also, by fire, by the earth opening, by fiery serpents, by consuming thousands of them; all which were evidences sufficient to convince them of the wickedness of mistrusting him. But notwithstanding all the wonders both of mercy and of judgment, they were full of pride, murmuring, rebellion, and unbelief; and in this hardened course they continued no less than forty years, until all but two of them, Caleb and Joshua, were consumed. Such were the provocations and temptations of God, that he determined their punishment; the certainty whereof he fixed by an irreversible oath, which is the highest confirmation of vengeance. The matter sworn was, that they should be so far from possessing, that they should not enter into the promised land, ver. 11. "So I sware in my wrath, that they should not enter into my rest." And if we look forward