ny Devils and impure spirits, secing 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. 87.) 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," ho 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 pow ér 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.) "the

prince of this world is judged:" And the Devil and his angels are called (Ephes. vi. 12.) Principalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world."

But now when our Saviour came into the world, he erected his kingdom amongst mankind, and broke the Devil's kingdom and power, and whereever the gospel came, put a period to the worship and adoration of the Devil, and destroyed his empire and dominion ; whence the author of the epistle to the Hebrews saith, (Heb. ii. 14.) "that Christ destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil;" that is, he abolished him as to any farther pretence of empire or power over us; and St. John saith, (1 John iii. 8 ) that“ the son of God was for this purpose manifested, that he might destroy the works of the Devil:" Satan (Luke x. 18.) "fell from heaven like lightning" at the coming of our Lord, who ejected and cast out the Devil. (John xii. 31.)

Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the prince of this world be cast out. John xvi. 11.) The prince of this world is judged:" We are now redeemed by the power of Christ, from the slavery and bondage of the Devil.

The possession which the Devil got of the

human nature, was, as Irenæus writes, a forced and usurped one, acquired through our sin and apostacy, by which we became the house and vessels of that strong man; but the Lord Jesus hath bound this strong man, and delivered us from his usurpation and tyranny." He came into this world, and er ected an adverse and opposite kingdom to the Devil's kingdom, and invited all men to come into his kingdom, and be subjects thereof; the entrance or formal admission into which, was at baptism, when the party baptized made a visible and open renunciation of the Devil's kingdom and interest, and publicly submitted himself to Jesus Christ as his Lord and governor.

This was one of the principal subjects of the apostle's sermons, that Jesus Christ was Lord; and this was the principal engagement made by new converts at their baptism, to submit to him as such. Thus St. Peter concluded his sermon, which he made on the descent of the Holy Ghost, (Acts ii. 36.) "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye' have crucified, both Lord and Christ." And so St. Peter and the other apostles, in their defence before the Sanhedrim, told them, that acts v. 31.) "God had exalted Jesus

with his right hand to be a prince and a savi our, for to give repentance to Israel, and for giveness of sins.". And so St. Paul saith, (1 Cor. viii. 5, 6.) "that though there be (id est, according to popular estimation) Gods many, and Lords many; yet to us there is but one God the father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him: (Ephes. iv. 5, 6.) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all." So that the very. formality of a Christian, and the intention of a person's being such, was to submit to Christ as Lord, which every one professed to be at baptism; that being a visible admission into his kingdom, and an open profession of sub jection to him; whence Cornelius, and his company were said to be (Acts x. 48.) "baptized in the name of the Lord," id est, they were by baptism initiated into the servive of Christ as Lord.

And it is farther observable, that the baptiz ed person did not only own the dominion and Lordship of Christ at baptism, but he did then likewise in express terms, renounce and ab jure the vassalage and service of the Devil; it being the ancient course, to demand of every person at his baptism, just before he received the baptismal laver, whether he re

nounced the Devil and all his works? To which he gave his public assent, and so made a solemn abjuration of the Devil, and his gov ernment and interest, being now to become a servant of Jesus Christ, and a subject of his kingdom. So Clemens Alexandrinus writes, "that in baptism we renounced the evil powers, id est, the Devil; and Tertullian, that we renounced the Devil and his angels; and, we covenanted to renounce the Devil, his pomp and his angels; and Cyprian, that we renoun ced the Devil, and the world."

Now if we reflect on all these matters, on the two opposite kingdoms of Christ and the Devil, on the extent of the Devil's kingdom at the time of our Saviour's coming, on the destruction or weakening of it by our Saviour, and his visible erecting of a kingdom among mankind, and the admission into it by bap tism, it will most evidently appear, that this article had its beginning with Christianity itself; and that the intended meaning thereof was, solemnly to declare thereby, that Jesus' Christ is Lord and governor of all, and particularly of us Christians, in opposition to the Devil, his kingdom and empire; every per son at baptism particularly, and solemnly professing Christ to be his Lord, in opposition to