Proposition III.

The Devil, in the prosecution, & for the execution, of His wrath upon them, often getts a Liberty to make a Descent upon the Children of men. When Page  13 the Devil does Hurt unto us, he Comes Down unto us; for the Randezvouze of the Infernal Troops, is indeed in the Supernal Parts of our Air. But as tis said, A. sparrow of the Air does not fall down without the will of God; so I may say, Not a Devil in the Air, can come down without the leave of God. Of this we have a famous Instance in that Arabian Prince, of whom the Devil was unable so much as to Touch any thing, till the most High God gave him a permission, to go down. The Divel stands with all the Instruments of Death, aiming at us, and begging of the Lord, as that King ask'd for the Hood-winck'd Syrians of old, Shall I Smite 'em, shall I Smite 'em? He cannot strike a Blow, till the Lord say, Go down and smite, but sometimes He does obtain from the High Posses∣sor of Heaven and Earth, a License for the doing of it. The Divel sometimes does make most rueful Havock among us; but still we may say to him, as our Lord said unto a great servant of his, Thou could∣est have no power against me, except it were given thee from above. The Divel is called in 1 pet. 5. 8. your Ad∣versary. Tis a Law-term; and it notes, An Adver∣sary at Law. The Divel cannot come at us, except in some sence according to Law; but sometimes he does procure sad things to be inflicted, according to that Law of the eternal King, upon us. The Divel First Goes up as an Accuser against us: He is therefore styled The Accuser; and it is on this account, that his proper Name, does belong unto him. There is a Court somewhere kept; a Court of Spirits, where the Divel enters all sorts of Complaints against us Page  14 all; he charges us with manifold sins against the Lord our God: There he loads us with heavy Imputati∣ons, of Hypocrisy, Iniquity, Disobedience; where upon he u•…ges, Lord, Let 'em now have the Death, which is their Wages, paid unto 'em! If our Advocate in the Heavens do not now take off his Libels, the Devil then with a Concession of God, Comes down, as a Destroyer upon us. Having first been an Attorney, to bespeak that the Judgments of Heaven may be Ordered for us, he then also pleads that he may be the Executioner of those Judgments; and the God of Heaven sometimes after a sort signs a Warrant, for this Destroying Angel, to do what has bin desired to be done for the Destroying of men. But such a Permission from God, for the Divel to Come down, and Break in upon mankind, oftentimes must be Ac∣companyed with a Commission from some wretches of mankind it 〈◊〉. Every man is, as 'tis hinted in Gen. 4 9. His Brothers Kee•…per. We are to keep one an∣other from the 〈◊〉 of the Divel, by mutual and Cordi•…l wi•…hes of prosperity to one another. When ungodly people, give their Consents in witchcrafts di∣abolically performed, for the Divell to annoy their Neighbours, he •…nds a Breach made in the Hedge about us, whereat he Rushes in upon us, with g•…ie∣vous molestations. Yea, when Impious people, that never saw the Divel, do but utter their Curses against their Neighbours, those are so many Watch words whereby the Ma•…ives of Hell are animated pre∣sently to fall upon us. 'Ti•… thus, that the Devil gets Leave to worry us.